


World Meets World (Season 1)

by coolcatuui



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17059490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolcatuui/pseuds/coolcatuui
Summary: Rose Matthews is the older fraternal twin sister of Riley Matthews. While Riley is a younger female version of Corey, Rose is the mini version of Topanga.  She has been tasked with a mission by her parents to look after her sister as they see the world together.





	1. Girl Meets World

**Riley's Bedroom**

**3rd POV**

Riley, Rose, and Maya were sitting at the bay window

"Why do we have to sneak out the window if we're not doing anything wrong until we sneak onto the subway?" Riley asked for the 100th time

"You think you're ready to just walk by your parents?" Maya asked Riley

"I think I'm ready." Riley smiled. Maya and Rose shared a look.

"Let me see your face as you walk by our parents." requested Rose not believing that her sister was ready. Riley turned to them and gave them a look of fright.

"Why are you making that face at us, Riley?" Maya asked pretending to be the twin's parents.

"Because I'm sneaking out to the subway," Riley replied, causing Rose to shake her head and sigh. Riley pointed out the window "Out the window."

"Let's go" Maya replied as she and Riley went out the window, while Rose stayed on the bay window.

"Three..Two...One" counted Rose, and at the count of one the two of them came climbing back through the window, stopped by the Twins dad, Corey Matthews.

"Daddy! What are you doing out here?" Riley asked

"Being smarter than me; how come you're always smarter than me?" Maya pouted.

Corey climbs through the window "Here's what I'm thinking." The girls got up and sat on Riley's bed. "It's not your world yet. It's still my world. Because if it were your world, Maya and Rose would have you on the subway already, thinking you pulled something over on me. But you didn't. Know how I know? Look at you. You're right here." He paused for a minute and looked at Rose "Why didn't out crawl out the bay window with them Rosebud?" Rose raised one eyebrow "Cause I'm not stupid." Maya glared at her, causing her to raise her hands "No offense."

"How long do we have to live in our father's world?" asked Riley

"Until you make it yours. Riley, Rose, do you know what I want more than anything? Go ahead. Make it yours." Corey says gesturing to his twins

"We will. And when we do, will you still be there for us?" asked Rose

"Right here. We'll be right here." They heard and faced the door to see the twins mother, Topanga, at the doorway.

The girls looked at each other, linked arms, and headed for the subway.

* * *

**Bleecker Street Subway Station.**

**Rose's POV**

As the girls and I entered the subway station, we heard a familiar beat, well a familiar rhythm to Maya and me, I turned to where the sound was coming from and saw...

"Dweezil!" I called has Maya, and I grooved to the beat

"Maya, Rose!" Weasel greeted before noticing my twin. " Who's the new chick?"

"Chick! Down here I'm a chick!" said before leaning into Maya and me and whispering "No wonder our parents don't want us on the Subway." I just shrugged, it was too late for me even to care. I had been sneaking onto the subway since I met Maya.

As we started walking toward the subway, Gretchen and her friend walked by us

"You're slouching, Maya. Good posture Rose" she told us

"Thanks, Gretchen!" Maya smiled, putting her hands on hips, she walks forward and then turns into the subway. Riley copied her, while I just rolled my eyes before following the two of them.

* * *

**New York City Subway.**

**Rose's POV**

The girls and I her on the subway hanging on to the pole since there weren't many seats available. I turned towards Riley about to ask her how our first ride on the subway was going, when my eyes widened. She was putting on lip gloss... my lip gloss.

"Woah, Riley, you don't do lip gloss," Maya said also noticing

"Yeah, because it's my lip gloss," I said snatching it back for, her and putting it in my purse. I glared, Riley knows the only people allowed to take my things without permission her our parents and Auggie. My parent's cause, well there my parents, they can do whatever they want with my stuff they bought it, and Auggie because I can't say no to my adorable little brother anyway.

"Oh! What I forgot to mention is that I'm completely reinventing myself." Riley explains. "I ride the Subway now, I have kiwi lips now, and I'm just as cool as you guys now!"

I look over my twins shoulder and see a pretty cute guy around our age reading a book. I looked back at my twin and said: "Yeah, let's see how cool you can be when you look at him."

I watch as Riley turns around to see the boy. He notices her staring and looks up and smiles at her. Riley turned around and smiled at Maya and me, causing the two of us to giggle.

"Yeah, you're gonna need some lessons. Let me show you everything you need to know about boys and girls." Maya said before walking towards the boy. "Hi, I'm Maya. You're really cute. We should hang out sometime. You make me happy. You don't pay enough attention to me. This isn't working out. It's you, not me. We can still be friends, not really." she walked back to Riley and me. "He's available. We just broke up," she told us.

"Are you okay? Do we need to talk about it?" Riley asked she was so innocent, how are we twins.

"Yeah it looked like a pretty bad breakup Maya," I said, the two of us shared a smile before we faced Riley again. "You still wanna be like us?"

She nods her head."I want to be exactly like you two. I think too much, and, Maya you don't think at all, and Rose only thinks when necessary."

"See? You get us, so let's not think" Maya said, and we unlatched Riley's hand from the pole. We watched as she flew backward screaming and landed on the boy's lap.

"Hi. We were just talking about you. You used to go out with my friend, Maya." she told him.

"I'm Lucas." he smiled.

"I love it." I sighed and shook my head.

Than crazy hat appears "Perhaps someone would like to give their seat to someone older?" she asks, Lucas's makes to get up, but crazy hat stops him "Not you, sweet potato pie."

Riley stands up motioning crazy hat to lean towards her. "Please don't make me move. I just wanna see where this goes."

"I've just worked a 12-hour shift, and I just wanna see where this, goes." she points at her behind "Okay?"

My twin sighs "Okay" she makes her way back us "That was great!"

"Your welcome." Maya and I say in unison. Then I notice the look on Riley's face she was about to panic

"What if that was the best moment of my life? What if nothing ever happens to me again?" she freaks out. Maya and I looked at each other and once again unlatch Riley's hand from the pole. This time though she landed on Crazy Hat, I grimace.

Crazy Hat looks down at Riley "It's for you." and puts her Lucas's lap.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway**

**Rose POV**

Riley, Maya, and I were in the hallway getting our books for history out of our locker. I slammed the door closed after I retrieved them, Maya and Riley did the same.

"Did you have trouble with the homework?" Riley asked us.

"Nope," I replied.

"Piece of cake," Maya said.

"You didn't do it, did you?" Riley and I asked in sync.

Maya chuckled "I don't even know where my books are."

Riley takes Maya's books from her messenger bag. "Here. And they're heavy." She hands them to Maya. The school bell rings, and we walk into class Riley still lecturing Maya "You have to do the homework, Maya. This teacher's insane, a total nut job. I think there's something seriously wrong with him."

"I like him," I said, the other two gave me weird looks.

"Hi honey, rosebud." My dad said standing in front of us.

"Hi, daddy." Riley and I greeted him with innocent smiles.

"Your late to your father's class."

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Matthews, you wrote them a note," Maya said, taking a folded note from her pocket.

"I/He did?" Dad and I asked in unison looking confused.

"You did." She hands the note to Riley.

"You did," Riley says handing the note to our father.

Dad unfolds the note and reads it out loud."Riley's late. Deal with it." I shake my head "Oh, you got my signature down pretty good this time."

"Oh it was easy, you write like a girl. Plus Rose has been giving me cursive lessons." Maya said, causing my dad to look at me.

"In retrospect, I should have known this was what she was going to do with them," I said and took my seat along with the girls.

"Okay, let me get back to jamming some learning in your heads," My dad said starting his lesson. "The Civil War."

"The Civil Bore." Maya mimicked.

Dad glared at her "Thank you, future Mini-Mart employee of the month."

"Would I be making more money than you?" Maya asked

Dad paused before continuing with the lesson "The Civil War! Anybody?"

"A war we fought against ourselves." Riley and I said in sync.

"Rosebud I'm not surprised you knew the answer, but Riley, you studied it?" Dad asked.

"No, she's living it," I told him as Riley smacks her head on her desk.

Than Farkle, our other best friend spoke from the seat beside me "People, people, are we here to learn or not?"

"What do you mean, Farkle?" Dad asks

"I've been in love with Riley since the first grade. But I'm also equally in love with Maya and Rose. Some might say the great mystery of the universe is who's gonna be the first Mrs. Farkle." Farkle explains to our brother. I thought it was cute that Farkle had a crush on us, it's never going to happen though, I see him as a brother.

Maya turned around in her sit "You don't want this." she told him.

"Bring it on," he replied

"I always thought that he'd wind up with back-of-the-class Brenda," Riley says. The whole class turns around to see a female version of Farkle, who waves at us.

"Yuck!" Farkle exclaimed looking disgusted.

"Actually, the great mystery of the universe is how you can love three women the same who couldn't possibly be more different," Dad explains to us.

"We're not so different." Riley pouted.

Frakle raises his hand "May I overstep my bounds, sir?" He asked.

"You always do?" Dad said switching places with Frakle.

Frakle flips over the name tag on Cory's desk, so it says "Farkle" instead of "Mr. Matthews."

Farkle ran over to Riley's desk and slammed his hand on it. "Riley is the sun. Warm and bright and lights up my whole day."He did the same thing to my desk "Rose is the sunset calm and peaceful, but like are namesake if made mad are thorns will come out." Maya's desk was the last "Maya, is the night. Dark and mysterious. And the night has always been a mystery to me. Because I go to bed at 7:30. How can I love these three different women? How can I not?" Farkle takes a bow."Thank you, I am Farkle!"

Dad switched back with him and begins speaking to us again "So, we were indeed trying to find out who we were, as a people. Who am I? What should I be? History shows that bad things happen when you don't know who you are."

The boy from the subway, Lucas, came in. Dad turned to him "Who are you? I don't know who you are." I rolled my eyes.

"Subway boy!" Riley tries to whisper to us.

Lucas hand dad the transfer papers "I'm Lucas Friar, from Austin, Texas."

"Oh. New student, Mr. Friar?" Dad asked.

"Yes, sir." He replied.

"Great. You're just in time for today's assignment. Have a seat." Dad says and gestures for him to take a seat, he took the seat behind me.

Riley turns around and motions me to tilt my head so she could stare at Lucas. I swear by the amount of time I've rolled my eyes today, it should have fallen out already.

Dad starts his lesson again "Okay, so we..." he pauses and walks toward Riley and turned her head forward. "So, I'd like you guys to open your books to page 48. Now, I'd like you to turn to page one. Now, I'd like you to read from page one to 48." Everyone groans. "Oh, too bad on you. Okay, so for tonight's assignment, I'd like you to write me a three-page essay on anything. Anything at all that you guys believe in so strongly, you fight for it."

"That. I'd fight for no homework. I come here every day; why can't you teach me everything I need to know while I'm here." Maya exclaimed I've never seen her so inspired before. This was going to end badly, I can feel it.

"Woo!" Riley exclaimed, causing Dad and I to glare at her "Not woo!"

"He gets our days, let's take back our nights. No homework, more freedom! Who's with me?" Maya continues. The class starts to chant. "No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!" She whispers to Riley "This is it, kid. You wanna be like me? Stand up." She starts chanting again "No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!"

"What are you doing?"Dad and I asked Riley who was standing up.

"I'm making a choice about who I want to be, about whose world I want it to be." She explained to us.

"Riley, I know you. You know exactly who you are." Dad said.

"Then who am I, Dad?" She asked him

"You're just like me." He replied. I shook my head he shouldn't have said that

"Oh, yeah? Would you do this?" She starts to chant along with the class. "No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!" She turns toward Farkle "Farkle, are you with us or not? No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!"

"My education? Or my women? My education? Or my women? My education? Or my women?" He looks dazed "Oh, it's happening again, sir" Farkle fainted into my father's arm.

"This is why your my favorite." He told me.

I just shook my head "Of course I am, I'm the smart twin Dad."

"He's your father; she's your twin?" I heard Lucas ask

I turned to face him and replied: "Sadly, yes."

* * *

**Matthews' Apartment, Family room.**

**Rose POV**

I enter the apartment building to see my mom in the family room.

"Afternoon Mom" I gave her a kiss on the cheek "We have trouble incoming," I warned her.

Riley entered the house "Ma!" She called angrily.

"Ma!" Dad mimicked her has he also entered the house.

"Whatever this is, do not put me in the middle of the two people I love equally. Just kidding! Come here, honey." Mom explained to the two hugging Riley, Dad sulked.

"My teacher followed me home. Can we keep him? Can we keep him? Please say no." she said as she accepted the hug.

"She walked out of my class," Dad explained.

"She's trying to be Maya." I continued the explanation. Dad pointed at me nodding his head.

"Why would you want to be Maya?" Mom asked.

"Because she's cool, she has a wild side. She does what she wants." Riley answered.

"But you and Rose are such good people!" Mom exclaimed.

"Who cares about that? Do you really think I'm one of those girls who follow all of the rules and never gets into trouble?" Riley exclaimed.

"I was hoping. Rose his." Dad said. I tilted my hand back and forth, to tell him sometimes, he glared at me.

"Do you think I'm well-raised?" Riley asked.

"Half!" Mom and I say in unison looking at Dad, who pouted at our answer.

"How important is it that you don't know me at all?" Riley said and stormed off into her room.

I sighed "I'll go talk to her." I said and following Riley.

* * *

**Rileys Bedroom**

I was sitting on Riley's bed, typing my essay. I was writing about how I would fight for those that I love because they are the ones that make me, the ones that bring me up when I am down and me. Riley was sitting on her bay window questioning her life.

"Am I the type of person who always plays it safe? Is this who I'm going to be for the rest of my life? Am I ever going to take a risk that changes my destiny?"

"Do bears know how to smile?" Auggie, my adorable five-year-old little brother asked from next to her. "Why is cake always so delicious? Will my drawings ever get any better?"

"Are you making fun of me?" Riley looked down at him

Auggie smiled "No, I think just like you because we're twins." I giggled at his reply, isn't he just the cutest.

"We're not twins, Rose and I are."She replied.

"Mooom!" he screamed and ran out of the room.

"Now look at what you did," I told her.

"Do you think I'm wrong?" She asked me.

I got up from her bed and sat next to her on the bay window" Truthfully?" I ask, she nods her head yes, "Yeah, Maya is cool because she's Maya, you trying to be are isn't going to make you cool, being you are." I told her. She frowned at me lost in thought. I kissed her cheek "Goodnight sissy." I grabbed my laptop and left her to her thoughts: 

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Cafeteria, Next Day.**

**Rose's POV**

Riley, Maya and I were sitting in the cafeteria when I noticed that Lucas looked lost. "Aww, look at him looking for a place to fit in," I told my sister.

"You think he'll sit with us?" She asked. Maya and her made space in between them so he could sit, just as he was about to sit down Farkle intercepted the seat from him.

"Ladies." Farkle greeted.

"Farkle." We all greeted back.

"Interesting lunch line dilemma." he looks at me "sloppy joe," then he looks at Maya "or chicken pot pie," then he looks at Riley "or maybe spaghetti." he looks back at me "sloppy joe" back to Maya "chicken pot pie" and one more time to Riley "spaghetti".

Maya chuckles "Is that all you got?"

"That's it! Same time tomorrow!" He told us and left the seat.

I looked over to see Lucas still searching for a seat; I turned towards my twin "There he is! Invite him to sit down!"

"With words?" she asked me. I shook my head yes.

"You're ready for this," Maya told her.

"What do I say?" she asked us.

"Hey, Lucas. Looking for somebody special?" she replied.

"I/she can't say that!" Riley and I exclaimed.

"Hey, Lucas. Looking for somebody?"

"Too forward." Riley and I said in unison.

Since Maya wasn't helping, I gave my advice "Hey, Lucas."

"Like we're on a first name basis?" She asked me. What kind of question was that we aren't in Asia.

I saw Lucas walking towards us and smirked. "Hey," I told Riley to say

"Hey." She mimicked. Perfect

"Hey back," Lucas said taking a seat next to her.

Riley Turned awkwardly towards Lucas. "Hi. You're sitting here."

"Is that okay?" He asked. She gives him a thumbs up.

"Can you excuse me for just one sec?" She turns towards Maya and me, we all screamed a bit before turning back to Lucas only to see Dad in front of us. I shook my head; dad was too overprotective of us.

"How ya doing?" He asks us.

Riley sighed "Dad, you have a choice here. You can either understand that this is just a boy talking to me in the cafeteria..."

Dad stopped her "I'm gonna do whatever you say next."

"But this is so innocent!" I exclaimed.

"Honey, Rosebud fathers don't see anything as innocent. We see it as...what's the opposite of innocent?" he explained

Maya raises her hand "Right here."

"Please don't embarrass us." Riley and I pleaded in unison.

"I'm just gonna talk to Mr. Friar about geography." he explained turning to Lucas "You know, I've been to a lot of places. Never been to Texas, though. What part of Texas is the closest to Mexico?"

"That'd be El Paso, sir," Lucas answered.

"Great! Let's go right now! " Dad said, dragging Lucas' chair away from the table. Lucas just waves bye at us. We left the table done with our lunch.

"So, did you do the homework?" Riley asks us.

I raised my eyebrow at her, of course, I did my homework.

"No, I didn't do the homework. The question on everybody's kiwi lips is, did you do the homework?" Maya told Riley

"No, I'm one of the founding members of the Homework Rebellion. Do you guys think I did my homework?" She replied.

"I think you did hers, too," I told her.

"I did. I did, and I really liked it." Riley admitted.

"Riley, Rose doesn't save me," Maya said. What was she talking about?

"What?" Riley and I asked in unison

"Let me be me" she replied, as Farkle walked by with three desserts. "Oh. You got three desserts?"

"Angel's food cake..." Riley started.

"Strawberry Shortcake..." I said.

"And Devil's food cake. Let me guess who's who." Maya finished

"Hey, Farkle's just hungry. Not everything is about you." He explained to us. We giggled as he walked away.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History class**

**Rose's POV**

We just entered history class, when I heard somebody sit behind me. It was Lucas seems like he found his way back. I wasn't the only one that noticed either.

Riley turned around, and I tilted my head to the side so she could speak to Lucas"Hi. I'm glad you're back."

Lucas smiles at her "Hi. Me too." He replied. His smile faded when dad approached them.

"Hi. Apparently, you have a better sense of direction.." here he gestures to my twin "than I anticipated." He told Lucas. Riley turns back and puts her hands on her head while dad those the 'I'm watching you' signal. He looks closer at Lucas " You are a really good-looking guy." Dad pauses and starts to talk to the class. "Okay. So, today we're gonna find out if anybody here believes in something so strongly, they'd fight for it. Maya."

"Yes, sir," Maya replied

"Present your homework," Dad told her.

Maya smirked, "Can't do that, sir." Every bone in my body was telling me this was going to end badly.

"Why not?" Dad asked.

"Didn't do my homework, sir," she replied

"Why not?" Dad asked again.

"That's what I'm fighting against, sir," she told him.

"Oh, this could go on for a while," Farkle says and puts on a sleeping mask, I wish I could join him right now. "Farkle Farkle Farkle Farkle. Farkle Farkle Farkle Farkle."

Riley speaks up "I didn't do my homework, either."

"Oh, really?" Dad and I asked in unison. I knew she was lying, she admits to doing hers and Maya's homework at lunch, so why was she lying to dad about it now.

"Yeah. We're the same, now. I don't believe in homework." Riley explained to us.

"Guess what, Riley? That doesn't make you the same as Maya at all." Dad told her.

Maya raises her hand "I have something to say." She told dad.

Dad looked surprised."Wow, I don't know what to do, I've never seen this before. The floor's yours, Ms. Hart."

She gets out of her seat and stops by Farkle's seat."Get up, Farkle." She pulls on his sleep mask. "You're gonna wanna be awake for this."

Farkle stands up."Is it our honeymoon?" He asked her, poor kid he will never learn.

"No, you missed that. Now it's time to hand in our essays," she replied

"Oh! Farkle goes. First, Farkle always goes first!" He gets up and leaves the class, presumably to get his homework.

"Alright, everybody who did their homework, put it on your desk," Maya told the class and started to collect the homework. I refused to give her mine.

"Careful there, Ms. Hart," Dad warned.

"Are you sure about this?" Riley and I asked her.

"I got this." She replied

"Okay." We told her

Farkle enters the classroom with an extravagant looking projects. He starts to explain what it represents. "The branding of Atlanta led to the end of the Civil War, and of peace. I believe that peace is worth fighting for." He cut himself off when Maya took a sparker off his projects. "Hey, that's a pivotal part of my diorama!" She takes another one. "And there goes, Virginia."

"The burning of the homework led to the end of the Homework Rebellion because there was no more homework," Maya says. She stands on a seat about to burn the homework with the sparkler.

"Maya stop. Her you crazy!" I exclaimed at her getting out of my seat to try and stop her. I took the papers from her hand, while dad took one of the sparklers.

"Alright, alright. That's far enough, Maya. I get it." Dad told her.

She starts to chant with the class. "No homework, more freedom!" she raises the other sparkler in her hands, setting the sprinklers of, and causing the fire alarm to ring. "Okay, so those work." She said soaked.

Everybody fleas the room, dad takes off his suit jacket and put it over me. "Is this all part of your presentation, or is this actually going on?" Farkle panics.

"Why didn't you stop your friend?" I heard I turned to see Lucas holding his jacket over himself and Riley.

"That's not what I do anymore!" Riley explained to him.

"You're better than that!" He exclaimed at her

"I'm just letting her be her." She tried to explain one more time.

Maya had a sad look. Farkle runs to the front of the class in a panic and climbs on Dad.

"Ms. Hart, you have detention. The principal will determine if it goes farther than that." Dad told Maya, struggling with Farkle on top of him. "Matthews, please leave." Dad as never sounded so angry before.

"I deserve detention, too!" Riley exclaimed

I looked at her in disbelieve. "No, you don't. You didn't do anything." I told her.

"Exactly." Dad nods "And Because you didn't do anything, your best friend is in very big trouble. Alright Farkle, you can get down now." Dad explained.

"Well, you're actually quite comfortable, sir."

"Thank you... Get off!" Dad yelled

"Farkle isn't going anywhere!" Farkle exclaimed.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway**

**Rose's POV**

We had just finished putting our wet books in our looker when dad enters with Farkle still on him.

"Down, Farkle," Dad told him, Farkle final gets off him.

"You're looking at us pretty hard there, Mr. Matthews." Maya tried to joke. Couldn't she tell this wasn't the time

"We just wanna stand by my girl," Riley explained, as we put a arm around our best-friends.

"You missed the moment to stand by your girl. You were so busy trying to be her, Riley, that you forgot the best thing you can do for her is be you. Riley, Rose take Farkle for a walk." Dad told us.

We took Farkle and left the two of them alone.

* * *

**NewYork City Subway**

**Rose's POV**

Ride home on the subway was quiet, all three of us were stilling reeling over what happened today.

"Riley?Rose?" Maya asked breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" We answer.

"f we can't hang out with each other as much anymore, don't worry about it." She told us, Riley and I looked at her in surprise. What was she talking about?

"Wait, why would..." Riley started.

"He's going to make you end our friendship," Maya told us.

"He said that?" Riley asked.

"He's really upset with me."

"You are reading into this too much, Maya. Dad would never do that he loves you." I told her. Dad would never make us end our friendship with Maya

"I don't think so anymore. I just want you to know that I get it wouldn't be your fault." She explained.

We heard clapping and turned to see Crazy Hat. "Bee-you-ti-full! You three little bumblebees got a sweet thing going, but where's your hunk?" We looked at her weird."You ain't got no hunk, you ain't got no story!"

"I haven't been a good friend to you two." She explained

"You're our best friend." We told her.

"They're your best friend. Best friends are important!"Crazy Hat yelled. "I have a best friend. I'm not talking to her right now."

"I go too far. And I don't think that's gonna stop. I'm bad for you." She told us

"He said that?" Riley asked. I knew dad would never say that.

"He will." The subway stopped. "This is your stop. Don't be me. You don't go as far as me." she explained.

"No!" Riley and I yell as Maya pushes us of the subway. "No!"

"No! Do not push her off this train." Evelyn yells as Riley, and I turn to leave. "You do not push your best friend off the subway. " The subway door closes behind us.

"I'm not you." We say as turn around and push the subway door open.

"Ooh, they're back! Those little girls pushed those doors open with the power of love!" Crazy Hat exclaimed.

"You're not allowed to abandon our friendship. We would never do that." I told her.

"Riley, Rose, I'm pushing you away because I'm not good for you anymore." Maya tried to explain to us, but Riley and I were done listening to her.

"Only we decide that. You know why?" Riley said.

"Why?" Maya asked.

"Because if this is our world now, the first person we want in it is you."

"You guys are gonna save me, aren't you?" Maya asked us smiling.

"We are,"Riley says as we, both grabbed Maya's arm and ran out of the train together.

**Matthews' Apartment.**

**Rose's POV**

Riley, Maya, and I charged into the apartment looking for dad.

"Where his he!" My twin and I yelled. Mom and Auggie pointed at dad, who looked a little frightened.

"There is no way I'll let you break up our friendship with Maya," Riley told him. I still don't believe dad would ever do that.

"Is that what you think I want, Riley?" Dad asked her.

"No. What you said you really want is for Rose and I his to make the world our own. And you want me to do my homework. Well, I'm doing it right now. Here's what I think is worth fighting for. This is our best friend. " Riley explained him.

"She's gonna get us into trouble, and we're gonna get us out of it. And we did because here we are. Look at us, Dad. We're right here. Our Civil War is over, Dad. We won."I finished explaining to him. "What happens now?"

* * *

**Bleecker Street Subway Station, Next Day.**

**Rose's POV**

The next day we (Mom, Dad, Auggie, Riley, Maya, Frakle, Lucas, and I) were at the subway.

"Friends, family, and all you other subterranean mole people. We're here today to celebrate Riley and Rose being Riley and Rose." Riley and I smiled at each other. "Now, some may call this a New York City Subway you, Riley; Rose can consider this a ticket to the world."

"You think We're ready?" Riley asked.

"You showed us you are." Mom told us looking proud.

"Riley, Rose I've already met the world. It's your turn." Dad explained. Riley and I smile and take the cards from him

"Hey, this isn't so different from Texas," Lucas said looking around. "Look, there's a pony."

"That's a rat," Farkle told him, causing Lucas eye to widen. Just then Gretchen and her friend walk by. "Ladies" He greeted them.

"Farkle." They greeted back, as he and Lucas followed them. Guys.

"So, where do you wanna go?" Maya asked.

"Don't know. Big world." I told her.

"Ours now?" She said.

"Yeah, but my dad did say we have to be home by five," Riley said, I shook my head at her.

"Don't worry. He wrote you a note." Maya hands Riley a note as we walked into the subway. I giggled.

"Next stop, Astor Place, 14th Street, and the world."

* * *

**Bleecker Street Subway Station.**

**Rose's POV**

After a few stops, we finally made it back to where we started. When the subway door opened, we saw everybody was still there.

"You guys came back and waited for us?" Riley asked, I wasn't shocked, It would be just like them to do that.

"Hey, we told you we were always gonna be here for you." Mom explained.

"Yeah, Riley, Rose. It's not so easy handing over the world without making sure everything's gonna be okay. "

We gathered in a hug. I looked over at my twin and smiled, looks like it's our world now.


	2. Girl Meets Boy

**John Quincy Adams Middle School**

Maya and I were in the hallway with Riley, Lucas was sitting on a bench not too far from us. The two of them were texting each other. 

"Talk to him," Maya told her, we were both getting annoyed.

"Why? We have a great text relationship," she told us

"You know what's a better text relationship?" I asked her.

"What?" she asked 

"Talk to him."Maya and I said together.

"He's right over there," I told her gesturing to Lucas.

"Noooo! Too complicated over there. Lots can go wrong over there. The only thing that can go wrong over here is if I go over there." she explained to us.

Maya and I point to Lucas' direction; we watch as she walks over to him. My twin attempted to say hi several times, but it just looked like she was chewing on cardboard. I mouth for her to talk to him, instead what does my twin though..... she sniffs him. Is it too late to ask for a new twin? 

She walks back to us smiling. "How'd I do?" she asks us.

"You smelled him." Maya deadpanned.

"Yup." she sounded proud of herself.

"You smelled him is what you did," I told her, thinking that she didn't understand what just happened.

"I walk through life, the way I walk through life," she told us. I slapped my forehead with my hand.

"Can we please talk about this?" Maya and I asked. Instead of answering us she took out her phone, then my and Maya's phone beeped. "Nope."

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History Classroom.**

"You guys don't connect with each other. It's like you can't exist without these." Dad lectured the class as he shook his phone at us  "You use emoticons rather than emotions. You're an unfeeling generation of zombies." Riley and Maya mimicked zombies causing me to laugh, and dad to furrow his brows at them. "Stop eating her." 

Dad's door opened and our classmate Myzell walked in. Dad looked at her "You're late, Miss Myzell." das told her.

" My goldfish died." Myzell deadpanned.

"You see? This is what I'm talking about." dad told us, before putting an arm around Myzell "Miss Myzell has clearly suffered a tragic loss. Yet, she does not seem in touch with her actual emotions!"

"Excuse me? I am crying my eyes out. I'm gonna have to leave class early." she told flatly, before exiting the classroom.

"Oh, she actually made it out the door this time." dad said before opened the door to reveal Myzell standing there smiling.

"I actually made it out the door this time!" she said excitedly.

"Dad, adjust and deal. Cell phones have been around for, like, ever." Riley told him.

"It'll amaze you to know that there was a whole world before you and cell phones," he replied.

"And it'll amaze you to know that I have 394 friends in here," she said.

"And I'm amazed that you believe that," I told her, shaking my head, Riley didn't know 30 people let alone 394. Dad shook his head in agreement with me.

Dad walks to the chalkboard and draws a line. "This is a timeline of all human existence. Starting here," he points at the start of the timeline "is everyone who ever lived, laughed, loved, and understood the value of life. The cellphone era, which begins right around here," he draws a line near the end of the timeline "pretty much destroys all of that. Way to go, you.".

Lucas raises his hand. "Sir, if I may take a different position?" he asked.

"Yeah, save me, Mr. Friar. Do I go too far?" dad asked him back.

"Always, sir. I understand your point, but I use my phone to video chat my old friends and to find out what's going on in Texas." Lucas replied.

"Yeah. How else can he keep tabs on all the hoedowns and cattle pageants?" Maya teased in a country accent.

"Maya!" Riley and I exclaimed, she isn't allowed to be rude to my future brother-in-law.

"It's okay, Riley, Rose. I'm unaffected by Maya's views of country life. As my Uncle Buster always says, "Be like an eagle and soar above the mockingbird." he tells us.

I giggled "You're the mockingbird." Riley and I told her.

"I know. " she told us before turning to Lucas "It kills me that I can't get to you."

"Sorry," he said tipping an imaginary hat "ma'am." he finished causing Maya to shudder, and me to burst out laughing, nobody every rilled up Maya like this, it's interesting to watch.

Farkle raised his hand "Farkle time, sir?"

"Oh, I love Farkle time," Dad said switching places with Farkle.

"With all due respect to history, Mr. Matthews, what's important to our generation will be on this side of the timeline, when Farkle and technology rule." he went up to Riley "And I will easily be able to make another one of you." he pulls a strand of hair out of Rileys head.

"Ow," she complained. 

He walked to Maya and did the same thing "Ow." she deadpanned.

By the time he walked over to me, I already held a strand out for him to take. Everybody looked at me weird "I'm not letting him pull on my hair, do you know how long it took me to get it like this, this morning." I explained

"Wait, so now there's six of us and one of you?" Riley asked him.

"That's awesome. The future, you can't escape it, I am Farkle!" he said before switching places with dad again.

"The assignment, you can't escape it, I am teacher!" Dad said mimicking Farkle. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do, guys. We're going to split into teams and discover whether or not new technology has made us better people. You'll do presentations on your findings. And here's a twist. No computers."

"What?!" Farkle exclaimed slamming his hands on his desk.

"We're going old school. You're going to do your research at the New York Public Library." Dad explained.

"Where?!" Maya asked. Did she real not know what a library is.

"And here's another twist because I trust you not at all. Give me your cell phones." Dad told us taking a basket from his desk.

"No!" Riley yelled.

"Yeah. Come on, hand 'em up, hand 'em up." Dad said taking it from everybody. I didn't really mind; I mostly use my phone to keep in keep in contact with my family and my best-friends from dance anyway. "Thank you, thank you. Okay, so our teams for this assignment. Maya, Rose and...."

Farkle sat on my lap before he could finish "What up" I push him off.

"And Riley, you will be with... No! No!" Dad exclaimed as the bell rang. "No!" he turned towards Lucas "Why did you have to come here?" he asked.

"Sorry I make you uneasy, sir." Lucas stands and exits the classroom.

"Oh, Dad, we don't even have our phones. I mean, what could possibly happen?" Riley told him as she exits.

Oh my poor innocent twin I thought before looking at my dad, and my poor idiot father. I pat him in the back before I left.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway.**

It was the end of the school day, and I was talking in the hallway with Riley, Farkle, and Maya.

"Hey, soaring eagle, you walkin' with us to the library tonight?" Maya asked Lucas as he walked by.

"Sure, if that's good with you guys," he replied.

"Well, seeing as how you're partnered with my twin on this assignment, I guess we should find out if it's okay with her." I told him, before look at my sister "Riley?" I asked. She just stood there.

"Riley, any thoughts on this that might come out of your mouth in word form? No, because you don't have your phone anymore, so what are you going to do to communicate, I wonder?" Maya asked.

Riley puts two thumbs up "Oh, look at that. Two thumbs up from Riley." I deadpanned, she smiles "And a smiley face."

* * *

**Matthews' Apartment, Dinner Table**

My family and I were just finishing dinner, and were now discussing how our days went.

"It was a good day. And then my friends treated me nicely. And then my teacher measured us, and then I'm growing. And then Jenny Lewis loves me. I think because I'm growing."  Auggie was telling us.

"It wasn't a good day." Riley started "And then my friend pulled my hair out. And then my teacher took my phone away. And then my teacher was also my father."  Riley finished pointing to dad.

"At least you're growing," Auggie told her, trying to make her feel better.

"Honey, please don't come apart. Look at this as a beautiful opportunity to spend time with your family." my mommy told her trying to make her look at the bright side of things. 

"Hello, Riley." Auggie greeted.

"How are you doing?" Riley asked him.

"Want to hear about my day? It was a good day," he told her.

"Mom!" Riley exclaimed.

"Forgive her, Auggie. She misses her telephone." mom told him.

"Well, then she can have mine," Auggie said handing her is toy phone.

Riley pressed the toy phone "The cow goes..." it started, "Moo!" Auggie exclaimed at the same time as the cow.

"I'm not gonna make it," she said defeated.

Mom turned on me. "So how her you taking this assignment Rose."

"Well, I'm not as bad as she is," I said pointing to my sister. "but in all honesty a rarely use my phone unless its to call one of you" I gestured to my family "or my best-friends from dance, so this isn't bothering me," I explained to her.

"That's good cause your father thinks that you two, especially your sister won't make it," she told me.

"Well, Rosebud might, but Riley can't," he told the family.

"Honey, please don't make your father right. It's no good for any of us when your father is right," she said talking to Riley.

"She's right." dad and I said.

"Why are you really doing this?" she asked him.

"Because he wants us and our friends to become human beings. And he believes that by doing this, we can learn to become real human beings" I told her in his stead. Dad nodded in agreement to say to her that I was right.

The intercom buzzed "Hey, losers, it's Maya."

"Except her." dad said.

"You know what? I am going to do this. I can get through this whole thing without making a text or a call." she said as I walked over to the intercom to buzz Maya in, "Come on up." I told Maya.

"Of course you guys can, sweetheart. And you know what? You're already a wonderful human being, but every so often, little tests like this are gonna come up." Mom told us.

"Why?" Riley asked.

"Because it's your father's job to give you little tests. And maybe along the way, you guys are going to learn a little bit more about yourselves." mom explained to us. Mostly Riley though cause I already knew this.

Maya enters the apartment. "Yeah, like I've learned that I'm actually really okay with all of this."

"You don't miss your phone, Maya?" mom asked.

"I was the only one in class without a smartphone anyway, and now I kind of feel like everybody's even." Maya exclaimed." 

The intercom buzzes again, and we heard Farkle's voice through it. "Farkle."

"Be there in a minute," I said through the intercom.

The intercom buzzes again, but this time it's Lucas voice "And Lucas."

"Ready now!" Riley yelled running out of the apartment, Maya and I following.

* * *

**New York Public Library.**

We have just arrived at the library, and all I could think is that I'm surrounded by idiots. Everybody except me was looking at the books in amazing like they had never seen such things before.

"What is this place?" Riley asked in disgust.

"This is where the ancients stored all of their wisdom," Farkle told her. 

"Ancients really?" I asked him, he just shrugged "You know one day people are going to consider us ancients too." I told him.

"Look at all of those..." Maya started.

I shook my head at her. "Books." I deadpanned. 

"Books." Maya and Riley said slowly. I started hitting my head on one of the bookshelves until Lucas stopped me.

"Thanks," I told him.

"No problem," Lucas replied before he was distracted by one of the books. "Look." he told us " _ 'Tales Of Human Interaction'  _ "

"We'll take it," Maya said grabbing the book from Lucas. "Thanks, quickdraw." she drops the book on the table before turning to Farkle and I. "Farkle, Rose, do whatever you do with that."

"You mean read?" Farkle deadpanned as I opened the book. "Chapter One..."" he started.

"Oh, I'm bored out of my mind, let's go to a movie," Maya said.

"Shh!" A librarian exclaimed out of nowhere, causing us all to scream.

"There's one of those ancients now," Farkle said walking over to the librarian. Oh, this is going to end badly I thought. "Oh, wondrous gatekeeper of the knowledge, we are travelers from another time and place."

"Seventh-grade middle school," Riley said interrupting Farkle. 

"We wish to partake of this information from your great hall of wisdom" Farkle continued.

"Do you rent phones?" Riley asked.

"There's no one here but us," Lucas told her.

"Why do we have to shush?" Maya questioned the librarian.

"Let me handle this, Maya," Farkle told Maya before he slid up to the librarian and started to flirt with her. "Hello, book lady."

"Well, hello. And who might you be?" the librarian asked him.

"I might be Farkle," he told her.

"Would you do me a favor, Farkle?" she asked.

"Oh, you know I will," he replied.

"Why don't you go over there," she points to another part of the library "and... Shh!"

"Well, that's disappointing." he grimaced.

I rolled my eyes, and dragged him and Maya back to the table. "Coming," I said.  "We should leave Riley and Lucas alone to do their own projects, will work on ours over here." Hopeful my twin will be able to build up the courage to talk to Lucas.

"This chapter's called  _ 'Disconnect To Connect.' _ " Farkle started, talking about the book Lucas found.

"Not until we put down our phones, switch off our computers and look in each other's eyes we won't be able to touch each other's hearts." I read out loud.

"Yeah, like that's going to work on anybody." Maya said in disbelieve.

* * *

**New York Public Library, Later.**

I was sitting on the floor reading 'Gone' by Micheal Grant,  while Maya and Farkle were sitting on the windowsill, the library's very own bay window.

"People used to need places like this. Now we can hold everything that's here in a little device we can put in our pockets. I don't even need to look out this window to know what phase the moon is in or where the stars are." Farkle told us.

"Yeah, well, I don't have a phone like that, I just have the actual sky," Maya told him. I gave a comforting pat on her knee; she smiled down at me in thanks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for you. You're at a real disadvantage. That can be the basis of our presentation, okay? Wanna read back the notes?" Farkle asked Maya.

"What notes?" she asked back.

"You weren't taking notes?" he asked.

"No," she told him.

"Then what were you doing on the notepad?" I asked her.

"You know, why bother? Without a computer, all we have is a pencil and a pad. What could we possibly do with that" he complained grabbing the pad from Maya only to see that she had drawn an fantastic picture of the night sky on it.

"Maya. I had no idea." I told her

"Yeah. Neither did I." she told us. There was a moment of silence before she broke it "Hey what her your reading?" she asked me.

"Gone by Micheal Grant, its a book about how everybody over the age of 18 disappears." I told her.

Maya looked excited by that. "No adults!" she exclaimed.

I frowned at her. "The adults disappearing isn't as good as you think, children are now taking care of children. There are no rules so now everything is chaotic and none of them have any real-life experiences. It's a struggle for them to survive." I explained the book to them.

They but frowned at me. "And you like it?" Farkle asked

"Yeah," I told him "It reminds me to be happy with the life I have because it could all change in the blink of an eye," I explained. We all smiled at each other.

* * *

**New York Public Library, Even Later.**

" _ 'Because it's not until you really looked at each other and made a human connection that you can even begin to know each other.'  _ " Maya read, she sounded like she actually believed it this time.

"Look in my eyes," Farkle told her.

"No," Maya told him.

"Look in my eyes," he told me.

"No."

"Look in my eyes," he said to both of us.

"No!" we exclaimed at him.

I took the book from Maya and read the next part. " _ 'There is no connection you can make with any screen that compares to the moment you understand only human beings have souls.' _ "

"I have a soul," Farkle told Maya and I.

"No," Maya told him. 

"I do!" he said to us.

"No," I told him this time.

"I do!" he told us again.

"No!" Maya and I yelled at him. I wonder how Riley's doing on this project.

* * *

**Matthews' Apartment.**

Riley and I walked home, and when we entered the apartment, she leaned on the door and smiled. I turned around to see our parents sitting at the dinner table, staring at her, mom smiling and dad frowning.

"How was your night, Riley, Rose." dad asked us still frowning at Riley.

I grinned he was not going to like this. "I had a good time," I told them. I walked over to dad and kissed his checks before putting my hands on his shoulder.

He smiled up at me "What are you doing?" he asked.

I smiled back at him. "Bracing you," I told him.

"Why?" he asked worried, I just looked at Riley.

"Thank you, for sending us to the library," Riley told him.

"Really?" he asked her in shock.

"Yes. Lucas and I did really well on the assignment. I think that we connected." she explained to him.

"What do you mean, connected? What are you talking about? How did you connect?" dad stood up shaking me of him. I walked over to my mom, and she grabbed me in a sideway hug as we watched them.

"We talked about stuff that was important to us. Too important to text," she replied with a smile. "Did you know that, when you listen to someone, they'll tell you stuff?" she asked him. 

"Oh, boy," he said, Oh boy is right.

"Friends talk to each other, but, real friends listen. Maya knows how to draw, and, I know how to be a real friend. You're a good teacher, Dad. You can keep my phone, as long as you want." she hugs. Dad walked to her room.

"Congratulations, Cory." mom told him.

"What did I do?" dad asked, he didn't look happy at all.

"You just taught one of your daughters how to feel," I told him.

"I did that?" he asked.

"You did." mom confirmed.

"I didn't mean to do that," he told us.

"Well, you did," I told him

"She has feelings now?" he asked us.

"Mm-hmm." mom and I nodded our heads at him.

"How many?" he asked.

"All of them," we told him.

"Well, put them back," he told us.

"We can't do that." Mom told him.

"I have a way," he said.

"There's no way," I told him.

"I have a way." Mom and I shared a look.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History Classroom.**

We were in class the next day and dad was giving everybody there phones back. If this is his plan to stop Riley from feeling, then it's too late the feelings her already out there.

"Here you go, take your phone. Take it now. Very good. Here's your phone. Good, great, nobody talks to nobody. No more feelings. Thank you." dad said before he went back to teacher mood. "Okay, guys, the great technology debate. Let's boot it up!" Riley, Maya, Lucas, Farkle, and I walk up to the front of the classroom.

Farkle started, he held out his phone and began speaking "I have always believed technology would help us fulfill our potential as a species. But when Farkle does rule the world, no matter what devices we come up with, we should also never forget what we can do with a pencil, a piece of paper and our own imaginations." he took out the drawing Maya did the yesterday. "I've been keeping this in my pocket where my phone used to be. I keep looking at it. I'm fine."

"Thanks, Farkle," Maya told him.

"Look in my eyes," he told her ruin the moment.

"No." she deadpanned.

I giggle at the two of them before I spoke up. "Technology his amazing it allows us to connect with those that you don't see often, but it can also be detrimental to us. We get so obsessed whats on this small object," I held out my phone. "that we forget the bigger picture. What we really need, not what we want...is all around us. One day something big is going to happen to me, something amazing, but I think if I spend all my time on my phone and not enough in the real world then I'm going to miss it. Thank you" The class clapped for me, I looked over at dad to see him grinning at me. I smiled back.

"I thought my whole life was in my phone," Riley started. "she points to her phone, "but it turns out that I don't really have any friends in here. "And you don't need your phone to connect with your real friends."

"Allow us to demonstrate." Lucas took over.

Riley faced Lucas"Hi."

Lucas faced Riley"Hi." 


	3. Girl Meets Sneak Attack

**Matthews Apartment**

It was almost time for school, and I was helping mom set the table for breakfast when dad walked in with shaving cream on his face.

"Hey, honey, what's for breakfast?" he asked, Auggie came in after him with shaving cream also on his face.

"Hey, honey, what's for breakfast?" Auggie mimicked dad.

I shared a smile with mom as we continued to set the table. "Aw, it looks like Auggie's trying to be Daddy's little man," she told me.

"Yes, so come over here and give Papa a smooch," Auggie told her

"Oh yeah, come over here and give Papa a smooch." Dad agreed, they both walked closer to her.

"No, I am in the middle of a case, I have to be at the courthouse early, and I really can't have shaving cream... " mom started begging, but neither of them listened to her, and still kissed her all over her cheeks. "All over my face."

I started laughing at my mom until both of them turned towards me with smiles. I started backing up, "No stop, stop, bad boys." I said as the came closer, but just like before they didn't listen and I got shaving cream all over my cheeks. "Auggie! Daddy!" I exclaimed.

"Nice job," Auggie told dad shaking his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you." dad agreed with him before the both wiped off the shaving cream on there faces. Mom passes me a towel so I could also wipe my face of shaving cream when the intercom buzzes.

"Maya." we heard.

Farkle's voice came out after "Farkle."

Riley enters and points at the intercom."Those are Rose's and I's friends. "I love my friends." she said and hopped down one of the steps leading to the dining room "It's a sunny day." she hops down another step. "love a sunny day. I love my friends." she said walking over to the intercom " I love my family. I love a sunny day. " she buzzes Farkle and Maya in. "I even love going to school." she then hugs dad, before sitting down.

"Okay, what's going on with her?" dad and I asked mom.

"I don't know. Don't do anything" she told us.

"I'm in a good mood." she starts snapping her finger "This life thing? I think I got it down." I share a look with mom and dad.

"You know saying something like that, usually jinxes you right," I told her.

"Not this time," she replied still snapping her finger.

Maya and Farkle enter the apartment. " Maya, oatmeal." mom told Maya.

"No thanks, Mrs. Matthews," Maya told her.

"Oh, I wasn't asking." mom said.

"Yeow," Maya said before sitting down at the table with us, leaving Farkle to close the door.

"Farkle, you too." mom said.

"Thank you. But my mother already made me eggs, home fries, wheat toast, marmalade and strawberry shaped like a star," he told her as he walked closer to us.

We all looked at him in shock.

"I'm going to the Farkle's. Who's with me?!" Auggie exclaimed getting out of his chair.

"Sit down. Eat it, please." mom told him.

"But it's still this," he said gesturing to the oatmeal.

"Hey, Auggie, guess what? It's Googly time." dad told him.

"No TV at the table." mom said firmly.

"You're right, Topanga. This table is about the discussion of today's events only." Dad said. "Riley."

"I woke up. I love everything. I sat here." she told him.

Dad turned to me. "Rose."

"All good over here," I told him.

"All caught up. Googly time! " dad says before turning the tv on.

We all start singing along to the theme song. _"Here comes Mr. Googly and his oogly boogly friends....."_

Auggie got up and turned off they TV upsetting everybody. "Hey!" we all exclaimed in unison.

"I'm too old for Mr. Googly," Auggie told us waling ver to the couch.

"'What?" Mom and I questioned him as we got up and followed him to the couch.

"But, Auggie, Mr. Googly's your best friend," Dad told him.

I picked up the Mr.Googly doll that I bought him for his third birthday, and pretend to be Mr.Googly "Auggie; I'm your oogly boogly best friend." I told him.

Auggie leans over to Mr.Googly and whispers "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course. You can tell Mr. Googly all your secrets." I said still pretending to be the doll.

"I have a new best friend now," Auggie told the doll.

"Oh really? Who would that be?" I asked him.

"I don't wanna tell you who she is," he told the doll.

"She?" we all asked in unison.

Auggie turned to Mr.Googly "I've said too much."

"Okay, why don't you tell Mr. Googly all about your new best friend and none of us will listen." Mom told him. The rest of us turned around and pretended that we weren't listening.

"I'm," Auggie started holding up five fingers " this many. I'm done with you now. Goodbye." he puts Mr.Googly on the couch.

"They grow up so fast," Riley said.

I glared at her, "He's five, his not suppose to know what growing up his." I told her she just shrugged at me. Mom pats my shoulder trying to console me.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway**

"I was so worried about this new school year." Riley told Maya and I as we walked to class. " didn't think I was going to survive. Not only am I surviving, I'm thriving. I'm like a plant going like this," she does an awkward pose."What was I so worried about?"

I look into the classroom to see Missy Bradford flirting with Lucas; I cover Riley's eye and gesture for Maya to see inside the classroom when she did her eyes went wide.

"What are you doing? Oh, this is too easy. It's Rose. I know because I saw you put your hand over my face. I'll do you now." Riley said she tried to cover my eyes before Maya stopped her.

"Oh, that's not the game," Maya told her.

"What's the game?" Riley asked us.

"The game is to protect the plant from the bulldozer in the pink sweater," I told her.

"Oh, Rose, bulldozers don't wear pink..." she started before trailing off when she looks into the classroom to see Missy flirting with Lucas. "Huh," Riley said as she walked away and leaned on the lockers.

"You okay?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," Riley said sliding down the lockers until she was sitting on the ground. She was not okay.

Me and Maya look at each other before sliding down next to Riley, Maya on her left me on her right. "Oh, look what the bulldozer did to you," Maya said.

"There are other girls, in this world," Riley said.

"There are," I said.

"And other girls, like Missy Bradford, are going to talk to Lucas."

"They are," Maya said.

"I don't like that," Riley said.

"I know." Maya and I told her.

"I wish the world were just us," she told us.

"Then it is." we told her hugging her.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class.**

"Sneak attack. December 7th, 1941." Dad lectured the class.

"A date which will live in infamy," Farkle said.

"A date? They're going on a date? In Italy?" Riley said in a daze.

I turned from my seat to the left of Riley and looked at her. "No, honey. You're in History." I told her.

"I'm history?" she asked me.

"Okay, put your hand up," Maya told her, lifting Riley's and up.

"Yes, Riley? You have a pertinent observation on the subject of the sneak attack?" Dad asked.

"May I be excused?" Maya told her to say.

But instead, my twin says, "My eyes see my shoes. "

Dad looks at me, and I point at Missy and Lucas, he nodded his head in understanding.

"Yes, Riley, you may be excused," Dad told her.

"Forever?" she asked hopefully.

"No, you have to come back to class at some point, honey. You just have to." Dad replied.

We all watched as Riley exited the classroom.

Dad started the lesson again. "It was another sunny day in paradise, before the sneak attack that changed everything."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Riley poking through the window; she was spying on Missy and Lucas. Uh-Oh, this is not going to end well.

"Do you like the movies? Dark at the movies." I could hear Missy asking Lucas

"Depends on the movie. Depends who I'm going with." Lucas told her.

"Scary movies? I get scared at scary movies. You'll take care of me though, right?" she asked him.

I watched as Riley pressed her nose up against the window.

"People who had viewed themselves as safe no longer had any security at all," Dad told us.

"Just you and me, Missy?" Lucas asked her.

"Just you and me, Lucas." she replied before tapping his nose with a "Boop."

Riley enters the classroom again from the back door. "Boop? That's the best you got?" she asked.

I shared a look with Maya before we both faced the front again. "Please be cool; please be cool, please be cool." Maya and I chanted.

"You don't think that I can do boop?" Riley asked Missy.

Maya turned to Farkle. "How bad do you think this is gonna be?" Maya asked Farkle.

"I think we should have some faith in our Riley," Farkle said.

Maya turned to me and raised her eyebrow in question. "As much as I would like to have faith, I'm her twin; it's going to be bad," I told them.

"I can do boop as you've never seen."Riley said before turning to Lucas and raising her finger "Boop!".

The whole class stared at her in shock. Missy smirked. Riley and her finger in Lucas's nose.

"Does anybody see this?" Riley asked.

"Everybody sees this" Missy told her.

"Take your finger out!" Maya and I screamed at her.

"Can't. Can't move. Scared." she pauses."Do you think Lucas knows?"

"Riley, I've never seen anything like this before, I don't know what's gonna happen," Maya told her.

"Rose?" Riley turned to me with pleading eyes.

"I....I......I......I don't know what to tell you, Riley; this is a new level even for you." I told her.

"Farkle?" Riley turned to Farkle now.

"Boy, Riley. I don't think I could do that even if I tried." Farkle told her, he stood up next to Maya. "Hey, Maya, boop. Oh no." his eyes widened in fright. I slammed my head on my desk.

"The bombing of Pearl Harbor was our official entrance into a world at war, and nothing would ever be the same." Dad told the class.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class.**

Riley was hiding in her locker to scared to face the world after what happened in history class. I couldn't really blame.

"You want me to bring you lunch?" Farkle asked Riley through her locker door.

"No. Food would only keep me alive," Riley replied.

"Come on, little plant, come back into the sun," Maya told her.

"I'm afraid something terrible will happen if I ever come out of here," Riley told all of us.

"Riley, that's crazy. Nothing could be worse than what's already happened." I told her slightly laughing. I stop laughing as Missy comes near us. "I stand corrected," I muttered.

"Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you. You're not upset with me, are you?" Missy asked with a smirk. "Because I didn't hear that you and Lucas were together or anything."

"We're not," Riley told her.

"Hmm, yeah, that's what I thought," she told Riley. "So if you're not, then it's not a problem if I ask Lucas out, because he's really cute. Don't you think?"

"I loathe you," Maya told Missy.

"Well, Lucas doesn't. In fact, I think he's kind of into me. Shocker." Missy said.

"Get out of here Bradford, before I tell everybody what happened to you in 2nd grade during dance practice," I told her glaring at her.

Missy glared right back at me "You wouldn't." she told me.

"I would, your messing with my twin. Now scat."I shooed her away with my hands. She left still glaring at me.

"I live here now." Riley told us sadly.

* * *

**Riley's Bedroom.**

Riley, Maya and I are sitting on the bay window.

"I think of this as a personal challenge issued by Missy Bradford to grow up, and to grow up fast," Riley told us. "So what do I do?" she asked.

"Nothing." Maya and I told her.

"Give me advice. You're a genius at this. Grow me up." Riley told me.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Why?"

"Because everybody else is," she told me.

"That's not the way I see it," Maya told her. I nodded in agreement with her.

"How can you see it any other way?" she asked us.

"Missy Bradford has decided to grow up fast. That has nothing to do with you." I told her.

"But what if Lucas takes her to a scary movie?" she started mimicking Missy's voice _"I get scared at scary movies. You'll take care of me, won't you?_ " Barf! Barf, I say!" she told us.

"Riley, do you want Lucas to take you to the movies?" Maya asked her.

"Alone? I don't know if I'm ready for that." Riley replied.

"Then what do you want from him?" I asked her.

"I don't know. I just, I don't want him with her." she said, "Am I jealous?"

"You wouldn't know how to be jealous," I told her wrapping my arm around her.

"I just, I don't want him taken away from us. She's bad news. Teach me how to flirt. " she told us.

"Not gonna do that," I told her

"I don't even know how to flirt," Maya told her. "Who our age knows how to flirt?" They both turn to look at me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I don't know how to flirt."

Maya picks up my phone and shows me all my messages sent to my friend Max. "If this is not flirting than I don't know what is," she told me.

I snatched my phone back from her. "Well, whatever." I pouted at the two of them. "I'm still not going to teach her how to flirt; you're going to have to ask somebody else."

"Who else our age knows how to flirt." Riley wondered.

Farkle suddenly pops his head from the window. "Hello, ladies," he said entering.

"Farkle, you were out there?" Riley asked him.

"I'm always out there," Farkle told us.

"Farkle, you're the biggest flirt in seventh grade," Riley told him.

"Why, thank you," Farkle said proudly.

"Can you teach me how to flirt with Lucas?" she asked him.

"I would do whatever you asked me," he told her.

"But I thought you loved her?" I asked him.

"I love both all three of you. I want you happy" Farkle told us.

We all smiled at each other.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Cafeteria.**

The next day I was sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch with Riley and Maya.

"So you think he'll sit with us or _her_?" Riley asked us, the last part said with venom.

"I try not to worry about things I have no control over," Maya told her.

"Really? Because that's all, I do." Riley said.

"We know," I said.

Farkle came over to our table. "Hey, can I sit with you guys?" he asked us.

"You better," Riley said moving over and making room for him.

"So you think he'll sit with us, or _her_?" Farkle asked us. Maya and I shared a look.

"Hey, what's up? Is there a seat with you guys?" Lucas asked us. I didn't even notice him coming over.

"Always room for you, buddy" Riley answered before turning to us. "I said "buddy" I'm not helping myself, am I?"

Farkle, Maya and I shook our heads no.

Just as Lucas was about to sit down, Missy came over. "Well, you know, I was just thinking that if you and I are going to the movies together, I should find out what kind of snacks you like so I could buy some for you," she told Lucas taking him with her to another table. "Because I wouldn't want you paying for everything."

"You're toast," Farkle told Riley.

"I know," she replied defeated.

"Are you saying she flirts better than you?" I asked him.

"Oh, nobody's better than Farkle. I just don't think my young protege is ready for that monster." Farkle told us.

"So what are you gonna do, genius?" Maya asked him.

"I think I'll just steal her from Lucas myself," he said.

"You would do that for me?" Riley asked.

"Well, I'm certainly not doing it for me, toots." he told her "She's evil. If I'm not back in two minutes, she ate me. How's my hair?"

"Hasn't changed in six years." Maya and I told him.

"She doesn't stand a chance," he said before walking to the table Missy and Lucas are seating. "Hello, lady."

"Farkle." Missy greeted.

"Why go to the movies with a boy when you can go with a" Farkle asked Missy as he lays his leg on the table and pulls up the pant leg. "man? Enjoy."

"Wow, look at you. You're next." she teased him.

Farkle walked back to our table. "It worked. I'm next," he told us. He looked so frightened by the prospect.

"Riley, she's too good. You can't compete with her." Maya told her.

"I don't want them together. I don't." Riley said getting up and walking over to Missy and Lucas.

"Riley?" Maya and I asked. We followed after her.

"Lucas." Riley greeted.

"Riley." he greeted back.

She took a deep breath before speaking "I don't know what's going on here and I don't have any right to say this, but I don't think you should hang out alone with this girl." she explained to him.

"Why not?" Lucas asked her.

"I don't really know, but I think, if you actually spend time with her alone it's gonna change things for..... you know, all of us," she told him.

"Well, aren't you just a concerned friend?" Missy asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I am," Riley told her.

"Well, with you around, how could I ever possibly get Lucas alone?" Missy said before throwing mash potatoes in Lucas's face. "Food fight!" Missy yelled.

Lucas looked upset. "Hey!" he exclaimed.

Dad, hearing the commotion, came over. "No food fight! Detention this afternoon, both of you!"

"Oh no. Both of us. Alone." Missy smirked.

After lunch, Riley dragged me into dad's classroom in a rush.

"Hi, daddy." I greeted him.

"Hi Rosebud, how as your day been so far?" he asked me.

"So far my day as ........." before I could finish my reply I was interrupted by Riley.

"How could you do that, Dad?" Riley asked him.

Dad looked confused. "What did I do?" he asked us.

"She's mad that you gave Lucas and Missy detention together," I told him. He nodded at me in understanding

"I was the cafeteria monitor. I saw potatoes not where potatoes are supposed to be. Detention him, detention her." Dad told her.

"But Lucas didn't even do anything," Riley said.

"Don't care. I'm mad with power," he replied.

"Then I want detention too," she told him, I looked at her like she was crazy.

"You do? Riley, you've never had detention in your whole life." I told her

"Besides what could you possibly do that would get you detention on such short notice?" Dad asked.

"I could introduce you to my special guest star," she told him gesturing to the door.

"Uh-oh," Dad said.

Maya enters the classroom and jumps on dad's back. "Nothing personal, bub," she told him before squishing is face together.

"In retrospective, you should have seen this coming," I told dad. He just sputtered gibberish at me.

"Yeah, that'll do it," Dad said as Maya jumped off his back. "Nice job."

Maya shakes dad's hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Rose?" Dad looked at me. "You want your first ever detention too?" he asked me.

"As much as I would love to join you in detention, I don't, " I told them "Besides I have dance practice, I looked at the clock in the classroom "right about now, and you're dropping me off." I said. I took dad's arm and dragged him out of his classroom. I waved bye to Riley and Maya.

* * *

**Matthews Apartment**

I just came home from dance to see mom about to slam the door of the apartment on a little girl, before she saw me.

"Hi sweetie." she greeted me "how was dance class?"

I stared at her for a minute, before entering the apartment. "It was good," I told her. I looked over to see Auggie all dressed up and looking adorable.

"So what do you think?" Auggie asked mom. Mom just nodded with a forced smile on her face.

I was so confused. "What did I miss?" I said taking a sit on the couch

Mom came over a sat next to me. "Auggie was just introducing me to his older women."

I looked at Auggie with wides, I grabbed him before he could escape and sat him on my lap. "Is she the reason why you're too old for Mr.Googly now," I asked tickling him.

"Yep… I wanted to impress her… but turns out she likes Mr.Googly too… she almost took him before mommy… stopped him," he said through laughter. I stopped tickling and looked at mom in conformation.

She nodded at me. "Come on." she said patting my knee "Help me get dinner ready" she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

I let Auggie off me. "Sure," I told her. As we prepared dinner, I told her about my day at school, from Riley and Missy drama to Riley using Maya to get detention from dad. We laughed and joked around with each other until Riley and Dad walked through the door. Riley was looking happier than when I left school today.

After dinner I was sitting on the couch with mom and dad, finishing some last minute homework, when Auggie walked in.

"Goodnight, Rose," Auggie said as he shook my hand. "Goodnight, Father." he shakes dad's hand. "Goodnight, Mother" he shook mom's hand and walked away.

"I don't know how much longer I can put up with this," Dad said, just as Riley came back in the room carrying Auggie.

Riley put Auggie on the couch between, dad and me. "Now you listen to me, kid. You take these jammies, and you wear them." she told him "And you take Mr. Googly and you hold on to him for as long as you can." she said grabbing Mr.Googly and handing it to him.

"Why?" Auggie asked her.

"Because he's your friend, you can trust him, and he loves you," I told him. "Right?" he shook his head yes.

"And, Auggie, it's very important that you hold onto your friends," Dad told him.

"And, Auggie, stay this many for as long as possible," Mom said holding up five fingers. "'cause when it's gone, it's gone."

"Good night, buddy," I told him holding my hand up for him to shake, but instead, he kissed me on the cheek, before doing the same to mom and dad.

" You want one?" he asked Riley, who shook her head yes "Yeah! Then you have to catch me!" he told Riley, I smiled as I watched Riley chase Auggie out of the room.


	4. Girl Meets Father

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway**

Riley, Maya and I were in the hallway watching upperclassmen, Allison, put on makeup. 

"Look at that ninth-grade woman! She's putting on makeup." Riley told Maya and I. "We're going to be ninth-grade women someday!"

"This thing goes to ninth grade?" Maya asked in disbelief.

I patted her on the back. "Yep," I told her.

Riley points to Allison "Why that?" she asked. Maya and I look to see Allison putting on eyeliner.

"Brings out your eyes," Maya told her.

Riley looked scared. "Why would I wanna take out my eyes?" she asked us.

"She's not taking out her eyes," I told her shaking my head.

Than Allison takes out an eyelash curler "And I think she is" Riley told us, pointing at Alison.

Allison, who was probably annoyed at us talking about her like she couldn't hear us, holds out the eyelash curler for Riley to take.

"It's an eyelash curler. It doesn't even hurt." Allison told her.

Maya and I walk closer to Allison while Riley takes the eyelash curler and examines it.

"I have eyelashes," Riley told us.

"Watch this," Maya told Allison.

Riley clamps the curler on her eyelashes. "Ahhhhh!" she screams.

"Anybody else would stop," I told Allison.

She clamps the curler on her eyelashes again. "Ahhhhh!" she screams again.

Dad passes by her and looks at her weird. "Open it," he told her.

"Thanks, Daddy," Riley told him.

"Yeah, okay." Dad deadpans, before going into his classroom.

"Yeah, okay," Riley told Allison, handing her back her eyelash curler. "I don't know how you do it, Rose," she told me as we walked away.

"Practice and common sense," I told her shrugging. At the same time, Farkle walks up to us.

"Ladies." he greeted.

"Farkle." we greeted back.

"School dance. I'm gonna put you both down for Dance Numbers one through all of them," he explained to us. "We will alternate. You and me, me and you. When you're not dancing with me, you may not dance with anyone else. So you may sit and wait until you dance with me again."

"Sorry Farkle, but I'm not going to the school dance this year," I told him.

"Why?" Riley asks me. "Cause Max doesn't go to this school so he can't take you." she teased.

"No." I pouted at her. "I already made prior commitments for this Friday."

"Yeah, none of this is happening," Maya told Farkle.

"Well, may I have one dance with each of you?" he asked Maya and Riley.

"Sure," Riley told him.

"Ha! That's all I wanted. You just got played by Farkle" he tells them before walking away.

Lucas walks up to us. "Hey guys!" he greeted.

Riley raises her hand. "Lucas!" she exclaimed.

"Hand," Maya told her, and she puts it down.

"Lucas!" she tried again this time she said his name too loud.

"Grown-up voice," I told her.

She walks up to Lucas "Lucas, hello." she says in a deep voice.

"Hey." he greeted her again.

"Hey, yeehaw. You going to Tick-Tock Shake Your Body Time" Maya greeted as we walked closer to the two of them. "Cause, you know, it's not a square dance, so, not gonna be a whole lot of do-si-doing."

"Well then, I'm sure I'll have no idea what to do, and you can make fun of me," Lucas told her with a smirk.

Maya points at him. "You're not playing this right," she told him.

"Oh, well that's certainly not my intention. I'll try harder next time."Lucas said putting her finger down. 

"I will break you," she told him

"Well, if that's what makes you happy, then. I certainly can't wait for it," he told her tipping an imaginary hat. "ma'am." Maya shudders in annoyance and turns away from him.

"You going to the school dance, Lucas?" Riley asked him.

"Thought I would. You?" he asks her in turn.

I made gagging noises, and Riley turns towards me. "You hear me?" I make the sounds again. "Just ask her already; you'll both be there."

"He'll be the one in a cowboy hat going like this," Maya said doing a silly dance.

Just then the bell rings "So, you going to class?" he asked Riley and me.

"Thought I would. You?" I answered him mimicking what he said earlier. He shook his head at me, has the three of us walked to class together leaving Maya in the hallway dancing.

* * *

 

**Matthews' Apartment.**

Riley and I entered the apartment to see mom and Auggie reading together on the couch. I went over to the dining table and sat on one of the chairs ready for the show.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?" Riley asks mom.

"You can ask me a question," Auggie told her.

"It's a girl thing, Auggie," she replied.

"You think I don't know about girls?" he asked her.

"Okay. I'm at a certain age where... " Riley started only to be cut off.

"I don't care," he told her leaving the couch. I grabbed him before he could go into his room and sat him on my lap. He looked at me curiously.

"You're not going to want to miss this, Mr.Spy," I told him. He nods his head, and we both returned our attention to Riley and mom.

Riley sat down on the couch next to mom. "You're at a certain age?" Mom asks.

"You had to know this was going to happen?" Riley asks

"I know a lot of things are going to happen." Mom told her. "Which one is this?"

"Makeup," she replied.

Mom looked relieved "Oh. Good." she sighed.

"I can have some?" Riley asks her.

Mom shakes her head. "No."

"Why not?" Riley asks "Rose uses makeup." she said pointing to me.

"I needed makeup for dance," I  told Riley. "They didn't have any choice, plus I made a logical argument that since they bought it for me, I should be able to use it whenever I want."

"Besides," Mom started "makeup leads to other things, that I..." she was interrupted by Riley.

"We have our first school dance on Friday night," Riley tells her.

Mom nods her head. "And we're there." 

"What's the difference between daytime makeup and nighttime makeup?" Riley asks.

"No difference. Because you're not wearing any." Mom tells her.

"But, what about when I do?" Riley asks.

"When we decide that you're at the right age to start wearing makeup..." Riley cuts her off again.

"Friday?" Riley tries. Damn, she's persistent.

"No. You might, like your twin, find that you prefer a more natural look during the day." Mom tells her gesturing to me. "Some women prefer to go a bit bolder at night. You are not allowed to hang out with those women."

"I wanna paint my face!" Riley exclaims smiling. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Wait. The dance is on Friday?" Moms ask. She turns to me, and I nod my head in confirmation, a smirk on my face.

"You're doing that thing with your voice," Riley says, she looks at me. "And you're doing that thing with your face."

"But, Friday is the last night for the Coney Island Cyclone," Mom tells her.

"But it's our first dance," Riley said as if dad explained everything. "And Dad takes me to ride the roller coaster a bunch of times, right?"

I shook my head at her. "Dad thinks of it has a tradition," I told her. 

"This was the prior commitments you were talking about, isn't it? " she asks me. I nod my head yes. "How bad is this?"

"Your father thinks of it as the reason he wakes up in the morning," Mom tells her

"Maybe he won't remember it this year," Riley says.

"Three days 'til Cyclone day!" Dad exclaims entering the room.

"Or maybe he will," I mutter causing Auggie to giggle.

"When's my birthday?" Mom asks dad.

"148 days from Cyclone day." Dad answers.

Mom and I both turn to Riley. "Good luck to you."

"Daddy!" Auggie calls from my lap.

"Auggie!" he exclaims lifting Auggie from my lap. "Tell me stuff!"

"Riley wants to wear makeup," Auggie tells him.

"Hey, little spy." Riley protests.

Dad turns to Riley " Don't call him a spy; he is not a spy!"

"I am a spy; you made me a card." Auggie said holding out a card that says  _ 'AUGGIE SPY.' _

"Alright, he is a spy. And guess what? He's working for me, and he just got promoted." Dad says handing him another card that says ' _ AUGGIE SUPER SPY _ .'

Auggie takes the card out of dads hand. "Super Spy!" he yells throwing his hands in the air.

"Dad," Riley says walking closer to him.

"Yeah?" Dad asks.

She hugs him. "Dad."

"Hey, super spy, tell me stuff," he said turning to Auggie.

"Riley wants to go to the school dance on, dun dun dun...."Auggie starts.

"Cyclone night." I finish getting up and sitting by mom.

"Oh. Wow. Is it the same night? I understand. I understand completely." he says, Riley gets this hopeful look in her eyes only for it to be crushed a second later. "I'm sorry, you'll have to miss the dance."

"Try again," Mom tells him, putting her arms around me.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to miss the dance." he turns to Mom. "No, same thing," he says sitting down next to me.

"But it's my first dance, Dad," Riley explains to him.

Dad clutches his heart. "Oh, boy," I mutter.

"No, no. I'm down with this." Dad says, he faces mom and me. "Yeah, I said that."

"Dad, when it comes to this stuff, I don't think there's anything you can teach me," Riley tells him.

"Oh, boy," I said louder this time.

Dad clutches his chest with both arms.

"I'm growing up, Dad." Riley continues.

"Oh, boy," I say again, this time Mom says it with me.

Dad lays down on the couch. "Goodbye," he tells us.

"You're breaking him!" Auggie yells at Riley.

"You were a great father to me when I was a kid. Don't take this the wrong way, Dad, but there are just some things that Mom can actually teach me, like, what do you know about makeup?" Riley tells him.  She's just digging those knives deeper, isn't she?

"I know it's what you're gonna have to do with me," Dad said upset before he leaves the room.

"Mom. Rose" Riley says facing us.

"That went better than I thought!" Mom said I nod my head in agreement.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History Classroom**

"Friar, Farkle, Hart, Rosebud!" Dad greeted as we all enter the classroom, but unlike the rest, he picked me up in a hug, spun me around, and then carried me to my seat. Than Riley entered. "You!" he growled at her.

"Dad, I..." Riley starts, but dad cuts her off. He makes the closed mouth signal with his mouth. "Okay," Rileys says and walks to her desk. I pat her hand in comfort, causing her to smile at me.

"Well, guys. I've got your test results on Darwin to give back to you, and uh, I'm pleased to see some of you have "evolved" since the last quiz." Dad says, trying to be funny.

"Ha!" Farkle fakes a laugh.

"Thanks, Farkle," Dad says.

"Well, you were drowning, sir," Farkle told him.

Dad starts to pass the tests back to us."Ms. Hart." he said handing Maya her test. "Mr. Friar." he hands Lucas back his test. "Nice work."

"Thank you, sir," Lucas replies.

Dad hands Farkle back his test. "Mr. Farkle."

"A number 700. Huzzah! " Farkle exclaims blowing into a noisemaker.

"Rosebud." Dad hands me back my test. "Another 100," he says smiling down at me, I smile back. "You," Dad says while handing Rile back her test.

I look over to see Maya looking upset. "You okay?" I ask her. 

"He gave me an F.," she tells me.

Riley looks at her in shock overhearing our conversation. "That's nuts; you're a solid D student," Riley says

"Mr. Friar, I took particular note of your position that evolution does not preclude the existence of... How did you put it?" Dad asks him.

"A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart," Lucas says looking back at his test to see what he wrote.

"Smooth," I mutter, only for dad to glare at me. I give him a who I look.

Maya raises her hand. 

"Yes, Ms. Hart?" Dad asks.

"You failed me," she tells him.

"Why don't we talk about this after class?" Dad asks her softly.

"What's there to talk about? You failed me," she says getting out of her seat. "There's nothing more for you to teach me." She hands Dad back her test paper.

"Oh, come on, both of you gotta say that? " Dad says looking at Riley.

Maya moves towards the door.

"What, you mean I lost you both? Maya!" Dad exclaims as she's about to leave the classroom. Maya turns back around to face him. " You do not walk out of here," Dad tells her, only for her to leave the classroom.

Riley and I raise our hand.

"Go," Dad tells us. Riley and I run out of the classroom.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Hallway.**

Riley and I run out of the classroom, only to find Maya at her locker.

"Redecorating your locker?" I joked.

Maya takes a doll body out of her locker. "Nope," she says. "Cleaning it out! You want one? Because it's the last one you're gonna get." she hands Riley and me two cotton candies.

"Maya, it's just one F," I tell her.

"It's not about the paper, Rose," she tells me. "Your dad failed me."

"Yeah, we know, and, I'm not going on the Cyclone, I failed him," Riley explains to her. "Can we just call it even?"

"Nope, we can just call it. I'm leaving," Maya tells us.

"Maya, we know you. You'll make a big deal about of this, pretend to leave school forever, and you'll be back by gym class." Riley tells her.

"No. This time I mean it." Maya says packing up her things and walking away from us.

"Alright Maya, we'll see you tomorrow," I yell after her.

She turns around. "No, you won't," she tells me.

"You'll pick us up at seven!" Riley yells.

"I won't be there," Maya says without turning around to look at us.

* * *

**Riley's Bedroom**

Riley, Maya and I were sitting on the bay window. 

"You made your point, okay? You didn't come to school today, and your teacher is really upset with you." Riley lectured her.

"He's not my teacher anymore. I now attend a prestigious online academy." Maya replied.

"Welcome to the Frank Mantucci on da computer school, where youse get out of it what you put into it. And what you need to put into it is 400 dollars. Gimme." an automated voice came from Maya's computer.

"Why does it have a Brooklyn accent?" I ask her; she just shrugged at me.

"You paid that?" Riley asked in surprise.

"Free trial. I took the test to see if I qualify for the free trial." Maya tells her.

"Maya, it's a scam; they take anybody," I told her rolling my eyes.

"Congratulations!" the automated voice said.

Maya looked excited. "I got in!" she exclaimed.

"You are the first person ever to fail the Frank Mantucci on da computer school." the automated voice said.  "How'd you do dat?"

"How'd you do dat?" Riley and I mimic the computer.

"We asked: "Name?" You didn't put nuttin'." the computer told us.

"Well, at least you were smart enough not to give them your name," I told her.

"It's not that I'm smart enough," Maya told me.

"Then what is it?" Riley asks her.

"Maybe sometimes, I'm not so proud of who I am," Maya replied looking upset.

A somber mood settled on the three of us; I was about to say something to comfort her when Mom walks into the room.

"How's it going in here?" Mom asks us.

"Mom, tell Maya to come back to school. Regular school." Riley tells Mom. I move aside making room for mom so that she was sitting beside me.

"Hmm, so, you don't like this, huh?" Mom asks her. My eyes widen catching on to what mom was hinting at; Mom winks at me.

"Of course not! Maya always comes to school with me. She always picks me up at seven. I look forward to it." Riley replied.

"Like a tradition," I told Riley.

"Yeah! Oh. You know, even though you're a mother, and you're my twin, that was creepy good." Riley says.

"So, Maya doesn't show up like she's supposed to and how does that make you feel?" I continue to make Mom's and I's point.

"Oh," Riley says, putting her hand on her heart like dad did the other day.

"Honey, you have to go to him. He feels bad. You have to go to your father." Mom tells her.

"I feel bad," Maya says. "Will he come to me?"

"No. He's your teacher. He doesn't have to." Riley tells her.

"But he will," I tell Maya.

"What?" she asks me in shock.

"He doesn't have to, but he will." Mom confirms.

"Why?" Riley asks

"Because he's always there," Mom tells her. Just then dad comes through the door, taking Maya out of the room by hand.

"Always," Mom says as Riley and I lay our head on her shoulders .

* * *

 

**Matthews' Apartment, Dining Area**

Riley and I are leaning on the doorway by the dining area. Maya his sitting on the dining table across from dad.

Dad hands Maya back her test. "Read it," he tells her.

"I don't wanna do this, Mr. Matthews," Maya tells him standing up.

"Sit down." Riley and I tell her.

"You can't tell me what..." Maya begins, but we cut her off.

"We just did," we tell her, and she sits down.

"Thanks." Riley and I say taking a seat at the dining table, Riley to Maya's right and me to Maya's left. "Go ahead," we tell her.

"Darwin animal studies were thought to be when he travels he took on the boat with the Beatles." Maya reads. I look at her like she was insane.

"Are you kidding me?" Riley asks. I reach across Maya to pinch her on the arm. She glares at me.

"Does she have to be here?" Maya says pointing to Riley.

"What were you trying to do?" Dad asks Maya.

"I tried to write it like I was smart," Maya replied.

"You are smart," I told her.

"What did you mean to say?" Dad asks her.

"Darwin studied animals," Maya replies.

"What kind?" Dad asks.

"I don't know," Maya says.

"She does know."Riley and I tell dad.

"I don't know; you think I don't know what I don't know?" Maya asks Riley and me.

"I think you know more than you don't know, but you don't know that!" Riley exclaims at her.

"You know what?" Maya asks Riley.

"What did Darwin study?" I ask Maya, bringing their attention back to the topic at hand.

"Birds." Maya answers.

"There you go." Dad and I cheer.

"Really? I got that one wrong." Riley mutters to herself.

"You wanna be smart, Maya?" Dad asks her. "Say what you mean. I understood that perfectly, and you're correct."

"That's all I had to say?" Maya asks him.

Dad doesn't answer; instead, he asks her another question. "What was the name of his boat?"

"The Beatles," Maya replies.

"Not quite honey," I tell her patting her arm.

"The Beagle, it's a tiny difference, but an important one. Because if you know it, Maya, you don't fail." Dad tells her.

"I want not to fail," Maya tells dad.

"What kind of birds did he study?" Dad asks her.

"I don't know," Maya says.

"You do." Riley and I tell her.

"Finches," Maya says.

"And what else?" Riley asks her.

"Finches and mockingbirds," Maya replies.

"Yes." Dad and I tell her.

"How did you know she knew?" Dad asked Riley and I. Mom came into the room and placed a hand on dad's shoulder.

"We know she listens to you." Riley and I replied.

"I listen to you," Maya tells him.

Dad smiles. "Then you won't fail. And then neither will I." he tells her.

"How about some turkey sandwiches?" Mom asks us.

"Darwin didn't study turkeys. He studied finches and mockingbirds. His boat was the Beagle." Maya states.

"And for extra credit?" Dad asks her.

"Galapagos. The islands he studied were the Galapagos." Maya replied.

"Because she listens to me." Dad brags to mom. "Hey, Maya. Watch this." he changes the F on her test to A.

Maya looked surprised. "You're giving me an A?" she asks dad.

"No, I'm giving you a C+," Dad tells her. "But I want you to see how easily an F can become an A."

"Nothing to be ashamed of anymore, Maya," I tell her putting my arm around her shoulder.

"My dad doesn't live with..." Maya starts. She has unshed tears in her eyes.

"It's okay," Riley tells her.

"He's got this new family." Maya continues.

"Maya, you don't have to..." Mom tells her, only to be cut off.

"I do have to," Maya tells mom. "I have to be able to talk to you. If you give me an F, if you decide I'm not worth working on..." she trails off in sadness.

"Maya, take a look around you. We're all here for you." Dad tells her. "Does this look like we think you're not worth working on?"

Maya smiles slightly. "I just don't wanna fail, Mr. Matthews. Thank you," she tells him.

"I don't wanna go to the dance. The dance doesn't matter to me at all. I want to go on the Cyclone with you more than anything in the world!" Riley exclaims after a moment of silence.

"You're going to the dance," Dad tells her.

"Hooray," Riley states wistfully.

"You too Rose." He says gesturing to me. "I'm going to chaperone."

Riley raises her hand. "What's that mean?" she asks.

"Hand," Maya tells her.

"What's that mean?" she tries again, this time too loud.

"Grown-up voice," I tell her.

"Lucas, hello," she says in a deep voice.

"What's that mean?" Dad asks us, pointing at Riley.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Gymnasium**

We were at the school dance or as Maya called it ' _ Tick-Tock Shake Your Body Time _ .' I was having a conversation with Dad, trying to distract him from the fact that Riley and Lucas were dancing together. Maya was dancing with Farkle; I could see from the corner of me that he had just dipped her near Lucas and Riley. 

"I'll be right back," Dad tells me.

I turn my attention back to him. "Yeah okay, good luck." he already told me about his plan for tonight. I walked over to where Maya and Riley were standing, Riley and I smiled at each other.

"Well, guys, it looks like the night is winding down," Dad says. "We hope you all enjoyed the dance. But before we go, I notice some fathers have arrived to pick up their daughters. I wonder if we might have one last dance." Everybody cheers. " A father-daughter dance."

As soft music start to play Dad approaches Riley and Maya and I. Me and Riley step aside so he could ask Maya to dance with him.

"May I please have this dance?" Dad asks her. She takes his hand, and they step into the center of the dance floor. After a bit, Dad and Maya hold their hands out for Riley and me. Riley takes Maya's hand, and I take Dad's.

"Looks like maybe we have a new tradition," I told dad.

"That's okay. Traditions are supposed to evolve. Just like daughters. Sometimes daughters just need..." Dad starts before looking at Lucas who was standing on the side. "What was that again, Mr. Friar?"

"A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart," Lucas replies.

"There's still a whole lot; I need you to teach me, dad," Riley tells dad.

"Thank you, Riley," Dad says, sincerely.

"There's still a whole lot; I need you to teach me, too," Maya tells him.

"Hey, his our father," Riley tells Maya.

"Whatever you say, "Maya replies.

"I wouldn't mind Maya as a Sister," I smirk.

"You do know that you're our father, right?" Riley asks dad.

"Yeah, I'm your father. Thank you, Riley." Dad answers.

"How's that for makeup?" I ask Dad.

"Perfect," he says, as the four of us continue to dance together.

**Matthews' Apartment.**

The next morning, we all sat at the table eating breakfast.

"Riley, Rose, I never want our daddy-daughter story to end," Dada tells us.

"Neither do we, dad." Riley and I reply.

"It doesn't end. In any good book, you turn the page, and there's another chapter." Mom explains to us.

"Daddy, since Riley and Rose are too big for you, maybe we could do something every year," Auggie asks Dad.

"Of course, Auggie," Dad says. "What do you have in mind?" 

"You and me. A singles cruise to Alaska." Auggie states.

"Well, I guess some traditions are meant to change," Mom says. Just then, Maya enters the apartment. 

"'Sup, goofballs? Hey, Riley, Rose. 7:00." she tells us. Riley and I grab our bags and walk over to the door.

As we were leaving, I could hear Dad saying, "And some should always remain the same." I smiled.


	5. Girl Meets Truth

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, Auditorium**

Maya and I were sitting in the audience watching the school play, " _ Rome and Juliet" _ . Usually, I wouldn't be here since I dislike the story of Romeo and Juliet, but Riley was playing Juliet and to her joy, Lucas was playing Romeo.

On the stage, Juliet is laying in the coffin playing dead when Romeo walks over to her.

"Eyes, look your last." he recited looking a Riley. " Arms, take your last embrace. And, lips, oh, you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss." he was about to kiss her when the play was interrupted.

Farkle jumps out from the side of the stage. "Back off!" 

"What meanest thou?" Lucas asked trying not to break character. "Spear carrier... who havest no lines."

"You tried to kiss my woman. This I cannot allow. Prepare to die!" Farkle exclaimed at him.

"Farkle, what are you doing?"Lucas asked finally breaking out of character. "It's  _ "Romeo and Juliet." _ "

"Well, now it's  _ "Romeo and Juliet and Farkle." _ " Farkle told him, "I play Farkle."

"Dude, I'm supposed to kiss the girl. Shakespeare said." Lucas told him

"Who thinks the spear carrier should finally get to kiss Juliet?" Farkle asks the audience.

The audience cheers and Maya gets up bringing attention to herself. "Yeah, you kiss that girl, you crazy spear carrier."

"Hark! You cometh uppeth here and getteth kissed too." Farkle told her.

The audience cheers louder. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind, seriously." Maya said as she walked up the stage. She lays down next to Riley, "How you doing?"

"I just don't understand how we end up in situations like this," Riley said to Maya.

At the same time as all this was going on, I took out my phone and recorded everything. This was just to funny not to record. 

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, Hallway**

After the play I watch as a crowd gathers in the school hallway to cheer for the Lucas,Riley, and even Maya, but as Farkle walked out nobody clapped. Riley feeling bad started clapping for him causing everybody else to join.

Farkle walks through the cloud waving his arm around, "Thank you. Thank you, Farkle Nation!"

"Farkle, come here." Maya and I said, until Riley stopped us.

"Maya, Rose, don't. He thinks he was good." Riley told her.

"Yeah, we're gonna fix that." Maya replied.

"But you can't tell him the truth. You'll crush him." Riley told us.

"Oh, we can tell him the truth. It's you who can't tell him the truth because you're afraid." I told Riley.

She looked at me offended, "I'm not afraid. I'm nice."

"You're saying we're not nice?" Maya asked her with a smile.

"No, I'm afraid to say that." Riley said voice quavering.

"Tell him the truth. You know Farkle. You know what will happen if you don't." I pleaded to Riley, as we approached Farkle.

Riley turned to face Farkle. "Farkle. You were so-- What are the best words?" she asked

"He killed the play." Maya told her. "Those are the words."

"Those are the only words."I piped up. "You killed the play. Tell him."

Farkle looked at the three of us confused, "What? What do they mean?" he asked Riley.

"They means you killed it, Farkle. Killed It! Showbiz talk." Riley lied to him. I slapped my hand on my forehead.

"I actually I thought I ruined the play. If you would've told me I ruined the play, I would have believed you." Farkle explained to us. Just as Riley was about to say something else he continued. "I would have been crushed, but I would've believed you."

Riley sighed, "How could I crush one of the best actors working in middle school today?" she asked him.

"I'm a good actor? What if I'm better than good? What if I'm great? What if I'm the greatest actor who ever lived, and I never knew it? That would be sad. Wah. It's okay, it's okay. I was acting. Thanks, Riley, my public awaits. Hello, everybody!" Farkle rants before leaving.

"You can't lie to him, Riley. You're gonna break our little Farkle." Maya told Riley.

"Oh, I will not. I didn't do anything. This will all go away." Riley said, just as Farkle returned and started tap-dancing across the halls.

I turned to Riley, "And I think... You broke him." 

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams History Class**

I was sitting in class waiting for dad to start the lesson, and since his writing the word truth on the board, I believe the lesson is about telling the truth.

I could overhear Riley commenting on Maya's new locket, "Nice locket."

"You likey?" Maya asked Riley.

"If history's about discovering the truth of what happened in the past, we should spend some time finding out what truth is." Dad explained as he started the class.

"Where'd you get the nice locket?" I asked Maya.

"Shh, I come here to learn." Maya told us. The three of us burst into laughter.

"All through history, people have suffered consequences for telling the truth."

"Is that real gold?" Riley asked her.

"Don't know. Doesn't matter." Maya shrugged.

In front of us Dad was still continuing is lesson. "They all suffered dearly for having the courage to tell the truth."

"So sometimes it's better not to?" Riley asked.

"But aren't there consequences for that too, sir?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, there are, Mr. Friar. But in my experience with the universe, no matter what you do, the truth always finds a way of coming out." Dad explained to us, just then the school bell rings.

"So... Where'd you get the locket?" Riley asked Maya as we walked out of class.

"France." Maya lied.

Riley looked shocked, "You were in France?"

"Si, senor," Maya replied.

I rolled my eyes, "That's Spanish, not French." 

"You didn't go to France because if you went to France, you would have brought me back a croissant." Riley explained.

Maya pulls out a croissant,"Bing"

"Ooh. Piping hot." Riley said taking the croissant. Maya and I walked away heading to our lockers, when Riley called out to Maya. "Wait a minute. Where did you really get this?"

"I found it on the street." Maya told her. I laughed.

"Bleah!" Riley said as she approaches Maya at her locker. " Come on, where'd you get the locket?"

"Just tell her, you know how she is. If you don't she won't leave you only." I told Maya.

Maya looked at us, "My father sent it to me." she told us.

Riley and I looked at her in disbelief. "He did?"

"You don't believe me?" she asked looking at the both of us.

"Did you just tell us?" I asked her.

"I just told you." Maya replied.

"Then we believe you." Riley told her."

"So this is over?" Maya asked.

"It's over for me" I told her, she looked at me gratefully. "I don't know about Riley though."

"Like it never happened." Riley said. "I do, however, have one question for the locket. Where'd you get the Maya?!"

"You don't believe my father sent this to me?" Maya asked her.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Riley asked instead.

"Riley leave it, if she wants to tell us she'll tell us." I told Riley, trying to diffuse the ongoing argument. They both ignored me.

"Why don't you just call me a liar?" Maya asked Riley.

"Why don't you just tell me the truth?" Riley asked her back.

I interrupted again, "Oh, you think that's important?"

"I do," Riley answered.

I smirked at her, "Did you think Farkle was good in the play?"

We heard a gasp from behind and turned to see Farkle behind us.

* * *

 

**The Matthews Apartment, Dining Area**

I was sitting at the table with my family; we were enjoying our dinner when Riley spoke up.

"I want to skip ahead in your truth lesson." Riley told dad. "Is it okay to tell a little white lie to spare somebody's feelings?"

"No.," he told her firmly, "My feelings?"

"No." she told him.

"Then always truth." Dad say , before looking at the chicken Mom cooked for him. " Well, what do we have here?"

Mom smiled at him, "Chicken."

Dad looked at her in disbelief, "I'll tell you right now, Topanga, this was never a chicken."

"Why don't you just eat it, Honey. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it after." Mom told him.

I smirked at dad, "Oh, great teller of the truth, please demonstrate how you're going to get out of this one."

"Psst, what'd you get?" Dad asked Auggie.

"S'ghetti and meatballs." Auggie replied.

"Ooh, yum. Yum that! Why this me?! Why yum him?!" Dad complained, Mom just moved the chicken closer to him. "All right, fine, I'll eat it. Here we go. Have we prayed? Have we prayed as a family? We haven't done that in a while."

"Go ahead, pray." Mom told him.

"Oh, I'll pray. The world is a beautiful place... Full of many beautiful things." he said putting his hands together. "Look what she did to your chicken!"

"Eat your dinner, Honey." Mom glared at him.

"Okay." Dad said, before looking upwards. "I'll see you soon." he took a bite of the chicken.

"Well, what do you think?" Mom looked at him expectantly. 

"Um, you know, from eating this chicken, I'll tell you right now how this chicken died. It ate this chicken." Dad explained.

Auggie looks up at Dad, "You know, Daddy, sometimes when I don't want to eat something, Mommy feeds it to me like it was an airplane." he mimics airplane motor while putting the spaghetti in his mouth "And I like that."

"That's very sweet, Auggie, but Daddy's a little too old for Mommy to feed him." Dad chuckles.

Mom didn't agree with him. She puts a fork in the chicken and moves it like an airplane to Dad while making the same motor noise Auggie made

* * *

 

**The Matthews Apartment, Riley's Bedroom**

I was sitting on the bay window, group messaging my friend Amy, Ash, Eloise, and Max, when Maya comes in through the window.

"There's a serious pigeon following me," Maya told us, as she sat down next to me.

"How you doing?" Riley asked her, "Hey, here's a new thing. Where'd you get the locket?" 

Maya ignored her, "He's a very sneaky pigeon, but I'm onto him."

"Because it's gold, it's expensive, and my curiosity gets the better of me," Riley explained to her.

"So I ducked behind the tree to fake out the pigeon. And you know who came over?" Maya asked as she continued to ignore Riley, "A squirrel. I didn't say hello though, because I was already in my thing with the pigeon."

"I need to know if you're stealing things." Rile asked her seriously.

I texted my friend's bye and got off my phone; I might need to intervene. 

"You don't think my dad sends me stuff?" Maya asked her.

I put my arms around her, "Maya, you've cried to us because your dad doesn't send you stuff." I told her.

She sighed, "Sometimes I walk around the village, and I pass stores, and I look in windows at things I know I'll never have." she explained to us, "So one day, I saw this sitting in a lost-and-found basket. Do you think it's right that somebody loses something so beautiful and never comes back for it?"

"Who knows? I don't have a criminal mind." Riley said, causing me to roll my eyes at her. "I don't think like you people."

"I would hardly call this a criminal offense," I told Riley.

"I walked by the window for months. Nobody claimed the locket, okay?" Maya asked us. "It sat there like a kid that has no-- like an orphan. So I claimed it. It's mine now."

"It's not. You took something that doesn't belong to you." Riley told her.

"How come you don't tell Farkle the truth, but you have no trouble telling her? I asked Riley. A pigeon flies into the window and warbles toward Maya "And you stop judging her." I yelled at the pigeon casing it to fly off. 

"Hey, my father tells my mother the truth, even when he knows she's gonna shove a chicken in his face." Rile told her.

"Sorry I missed it." Maya laughed.

"Yep, I was thinking about you." Riley replied.

"Thanks," Maya said.

"'Cause I love you." Riley told her.

"I love you too." Maya smiled.

"Then why do you want to end up in the slammer?" Rile asked her in distress.

"Here we go." I sighed.

"You won't do well in the slammer," Riley told Maya.

Maya looked offended, "I will so." 

"Don't encourage her." I scolded Maya.

"You won't pack right. And you'll forget to bring shower shoes and you'll take somebody else's from the lost-and-found. And I think... You're gonna get toe fungus! And I think you deserve to get toe fungus because they're not your shower shoes. They're not!" Riley explained frantic.

"That's adorable." Maya told her.

"I think you're a thief." Riley said. Maya and I's eyes widened.

"That's not" I muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.

"You think I'm afraid to tell people the truth? I'm not, and I now await your praise." Riley extends arms waiting for Maya to hug her, but she Maya goes out the window. "Maya?"

"Riley that was harsh." I scolded her "Did you think that, this might not be about the locker. She said the gold didn't matter. "

"Than whats it about?" she asked me sadly.

I just hugged her to me.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, Hallway**

I was standing by my locker with Riley waiting for Maya. When Maya arrives Riley gives her a look, and Maya comes and hands her books to Riley.

"I got something to say to you," Riley told her.

Maya put's her fingers in her ear and starts to sing, "I can't hear you. Baddada dadaa dadaa..."

"I'm talking to you," Riley told her.

"Da da dadaa. Whata whata whata, waa waa waa." she continued to sing, before stoping. "And... Go."

"Whether or not you're a thief, or not a thief, or you stole the locket or you didn't, it doesn't belong to you. It belongs to somebody else." Riley explains to her "And you have to tell the truth about it because you are upsetting the universe. And the universe is going to have the truth come out anyway."

I jumped into the conversation, "And what about you? When are you gonna tell the truth to Farkle?"

"I hardly think the universe is upset with me for being nice to Farkle." Riley told me, "I mean, what could possibly go wrong there?"

"Hey, Chess Club, you can move King's Knight to Bishop Six, and then you can eat it! 'Cause I quit the Chess Club 'cause I'm an actor, 'cause Riley said so." Farkle insulted the chess club.

I shared a look with Maya. "'Cause Riley said so." we mimicked Farkle. 

"Hey, Chemistry Club, you know what you get when you put sodium and chlorine together? You're a bunch of losers!" he told the the chemistry club.

"Farkle!" Riley calls out to him.

Farkle turns to face her, "Riley. You changed my life. The Farkle you knew is gone." "I am now... Farkle!" he said dramatically.

"Whata whata what. What could possibly go wrong? Whata whata what could possibly go wrong?" Maya sings.

* * *

 

**The Matthews Apartment, Riley's Bedroom**

I was once again sitting on the bay window doing my homework when I heard a knock from the window.

"Maya?" Riley asked hopefully.

"Nope, me." came Dad's voice.

I opened the window for him and sighed, "Told more truths, did ya?"

"Well, the thing I probably should have mentioned is I've never understood the universe at all," he told us.

"The universe is upside down. I lied to Farkle, he loves me. I told Maya the truth, she went out the window. Upside down! You hear me?" Riley freaked out.

Just then, Maya comes through the window, "Hey." she greets.

"Well, now she's back. Maybe it's not as upside down as you think." Dad told her, before he noticed Maya's locket. "It's a nice locket, Maya."

"Thanks, Mr. Matthews," Maya told him.

"It looks like someone else's expensive gold locket." Riley said like that explained everything.

"Maybe it is. But, you know, I don't think that matters to Maya at all." Dad told her.

"You don't?" Rile asked "Rose doesn't either."

Dad smiled at me and I smiled back. "You wanna take this?" I asked him.

"Sure." he told me. "You know, it's an interesting thing about lockets. It's usually what's in the inside that matters most to people. Isn't that right, Maya?" Dad asked her, before getting up to opening the door only for to find Mom standing in his path. "Yeah, okay." he said closing the door. "Please don't tell anyone this is how I live in my own house." he goes out the window.

"What's inside the locket, Maya, that's so important to you?" I asked Maya. Maya opens the locket with a family photo inside.

"Who is this family?" Riley asked.

"I don't know." Maya said, breathing deeply "A father, a mother and a little girl. I just like that they're all together. I'm keeping it."

"Oh, boy," Riley said.

Dad re-enters through the window.

"She's at the front door too. It's like there's two of her." he told us as he tries Rileys door again. He opens the door only to find mom with the chicken making airplane noises; he screams and closes the door then sits between Maya and Riley, while I move to the bed. "So what do we do now? Just sit here or what?"

"Hey, Dad. Can you tell me why I kind of think trying to help Farkle may have been wrong and maybe Maya should keep the locket?" Rile asked him.

Maya  and I looked at her in surprise, "I/she should?"

"Maybe." Riley told her, "Is it me that's upside down?"

"You know what, girls? The universe is the most confusing place you'll ever live. But if you listen carefully, you'll find out that it's paying attention and that it cares about you." Dad explained to us.

"Is that the truth?" I asked him.

"It's the only one I'm still sure of." Dad said. Auggie opens the door with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. "Hey, Auggie, is that for me, Buddy?"

"I made it for you," Auggie told him. 

"Oh, Auggie, thank you so much. Thank you." Dad sit's down and looks at the plate. "Look at this, ooh. This looks good." Dad said taking a little bite. "It's-- It's cold s'ghetti."

"I know it's better warmer, but I don't know how to do that" Auggie told him.

"Auggie, I appreciate that you did anything for me at all." Dad smiled at Auggie.

"You said that very nice." Auggie told him. "Why didn't you say it that way to Mom?"

"What? But all I did was tell Mom the truth" Dad said confused.

"Then why did you get cold s'ghetti?" Auggie asked him.

"Whoa." Maya and Riley said.

"Whoa. Auggie, are you saying the truth doesn't matter as much as how you treat people?" Dad asked him.

"Auggie, are you saying that the truth does matter, but you should tell it to people warmly?" Riley asked.

"Auggie, are you saying that the universe pays attention to me?" Maya asked.

Auggie looked at all three of them as if they're insane. "Do you people realize that I'm only..." Auggie raises his left hand "this many?" Maya high-fives him.

I picked up Auggie, and hugged him to me, "Doesn't matter, you very smart for being.." I raise my right hand "this many." I told him.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, Auditorium**

Riley, Maya and I entered the auditorium looking for Farkle. We've been looking for him since school ended for the day, but we don't seem to be having any luck every where else. Luckily for us he was laying down on the fake coffin on the stage.

"Farkle, I need to talk to you. I've been looking all over for you." Riley told him, but he didn't respond back to her.

Maya grabbed a spear from somewhere on the stage and jabbed him with it. " Farkle."

"Farkle's gone." Farkle told us despondent, "He gave up the chess club. He gave up the chemistry club."

"What happened?" Riley asked.

"You happened." Farkle told her. "You told me I was good. Well, I just auditioned for the next play."

"Are you gonna be in the next play?" I asked him.

"I'm not even allowed to watch the next play."

"I'm sorry Farkle," I told him.

"I'm sorry you stink," Maya said.

"I'm sorry I could never hurt you." Riley told him.

"I'm sorry you stink," Maya said again, I elbowed her in the side.

"I heard you!" Farkle exclaimed.

"Well, it was very important." Maya told him, while rubbing her side. She was glaring at me, I just smiled at her.

Farkle sighed, "You made me think I was this great actor. You filled me up with confidence that I was really special. You made me think I could go after something totally unrealistic." he explained to Riley.

"Farkle..." Riley started.

"Thank you." he tries to give Riley and kiss, but Riley dodges and he ends up kissing her checks. "Mmmm... Mwuah!" 

Farkle smiled and put his fist and air, before leaving. Maya and I shared a look and stepped closer to Riley, whose eyes were shut tight.

"Well... that happened." I told her

"Is it over?" she asked us, still not opening her eyes.

"Can we talk about this?" Maya asked.

"No," Riley said, finally opening her eyes.

"Because that was your first kiss and it was with Farkle." I told her.

"He missed," she said determinedly.

"Still counts. Now for the rest of your life when people ask you, "Hey, Riley, who was your first kiss?" you're gonna have to say..." Maya teased her only to be interrupted.

Lucas approached us, "Eyes, look you're last."

"Oh, yeah!" Riley exclaimed, she took Farkle's place on the fake coffin with her arms folded.

"Arms, take your last embrace. And, lips, oh, you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss." Lucas recited from the play.

"Hi." Riley greeted him.

"Hi." he greeted her back.

"How long you been here?" Riley asked him.

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing. I just can't believe that little guy stole my moment... Again." Lucas told her.

"You thought that was your moment?" Riley asked.

"No," Lucas told her.

"Oh." Riley replied disappointedly.

"My moment will be my moment," Lucas told her before leaving.

Riley sighs and giggles as he leaves. I and Maya smile and join her on the fake coffin.

"How you doing?" We asked her.

"I like that we end up in situations like this," she told us.

* * *

 

**Bleecker Street Subway Station.**

Later that day the three of us headed to the subway.

"You're doing the right thing, returning the locket to the store," Riley told Maya.

"I guess so," Maya replied.

"Maya, we know how much you want a locket with a family inside it," I told her.

"You want the truth?" she asked us.

"Yes, please." Riley and I replied.

"My father hasn't sent me anything in a long time. And the universe is probably much too busy to notice whether or not I'm doing the right thing." Maya told us.

Riley and her weren't listening though we were looking in shock at the family in front of us. It was the same family form the locket. We point them out to Maya when she looks at us. The three of us approach the family.

"Hi. I think this belongs to you." Maya told them.

"Oh my Gosh. I've been looking all over for that." The mom told us. "Thank you."

Maya returns the locket to the little girl.

"Thank you." the little girl told her.

"Never lose this." Maya told the little girl. We waved as the family left.

"A cool universe, huh?" I asked the Maya and Riley as we headed for the subway, the pigeon following us.


	6. Girl Meets Popular

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, Hallway**

Riley, Maya and I were putting our stuff into our lockers when we noticed somebody wearing a black hoodie putting invitations into people locker.

Riley looked at Maya and me and smiled, "Look what's happening, look what's coming."

"What's coming crazy?" Maya chuckled.

"Invitations... to the seventh-grade parties," Riley told us. "It's begun. We could be party girls. I'm going to need a party-girl walk." Maya and I watch as she does a crazy walk.

"Yeah, that's not it," I told her.

"You know, there is going to be boys at these parties. But not just any boys. No, opposite-sex boys. They're the best kind." Riley told us.

"Yeah, you sound ready for this," Maya told her.

"Oh, I am. And I may just be the first girl who crosses over from our side of the room to the..." Maya and I interrupted her.

"Yeah, it's gonna be us." Maya and I say.

"Yeah, it's gonna be you two," Riley said at the same time as us. "You know what pretty-boy hipster is handing out invitations to... don't you?" Riley asked nudging us.

"A party." Maya nudged her back.

"Membership cards to the popular club," Riley said instead.

"Why can't you just let it be a party?" I sighed.

"Because this is it, right here. This where you two go one way, and I go the other way," she explained to us. "You two get the invite, and you marry pretty-boy hipster and his friend, and I end up marrying Anthony Delvecchio, and we buy things in bulk. You're gonna be popular. I'm not." she starts to rub Maya's and I's hair.  "Good for you. Good girls. Bye-bye, Maya. Bye-bye Rose." she sobs "Bye-bye." 'Pretty-Boy Hipster' hands her an invitation. "Yay! For me. Maya, Rose I know you didn't get one, but is it okay if I'm really happy?" she asked us.

"Go for it," I tell her.

"You go get 'em, tiger," Maya tells her. Riley does her party girl walk, " I love you, but you're a lot of work." Maya said before copying her. I chuckle and follow them to class.

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class**

Riley Maya and I walked into the classroom, where Dad was sitting at his desk waiting for class to start. Riley headed straight for Dad's desk and slammed the invitation on it.

"Boom" Riley shouts. 

Dad looks up at her in surprise before looking down at the invitation, "You got invited to something?" He asked Riley.

Riley smiled at him, "So much for genetics, baby. "

"Ooh, seventh-grade party. Yup, I didn't get invited to a whole lot of these. Good for you. I'm proud of you." he told her before turning to me. "Boy-girl Party?"

"Yup," I told him.

"You can't go." Riley and Dad say at the same time. 

"May we approach?" Maya asked.

"Hurry please," they say in unison.

"We're gonna keep your young'in out of trouble sir," Maya told dad.

"Hart you are trouble," Dad told her. "Why would I want my young'in anywhere near the same party you're gonna be at."

"You wouldn't," Maya replied.

"What about me?" I asked Dad.

He looked at me for a moment before answering, "You can be worse than her at times." he gestured to Maya. "I don't know if this will be one of those times."

I smiled at him innocently.

Maya smirked at dad, "Say it. You know you wanna say it."

"You can't go if Maya's invited," Dad said.

"Maya's not invited, neither was Rose," Riley told him.

"Then you may go," Dad told her.

"Thanks, daddy." Riley cheered.

I shook my head and walked to my seat, while Riley and Maya stood up in the front still. I know what was coming next.

"All right, good day, everybody. Class dismissed." Maya said.

"Sit down!" Dad, Riley, and Maya yelled in unison. I laughed at them; I knew this was going to happen. Riley and Maya sit down.

"So there's this guy Damocles who really wants to be king. One day he gets an invitation to come sit on the throne and actually hang with royalty." Dad said starting is lesson.

"No!" Riley exclaimed.

"'Sup, riles? Pop's lesson hitting a little close to home?" I asked her.

" Nope, what he's saying has nothing to do with me," she told me. "Yes, I've been invited to hang with middle-school royalty, but nothing bad could happen." 

"I'm sure you're right," Dad said to her. "Farkle!"

"When Damocles sat on the throne he noticed a sword hanging over it, held up by a single tiny thread," Farkle explained.

"Maya," Dad called.

"Be careful what you wish for," Maya said.

"Why? Rose." Dad called me.

"Being what other people want you to be is just a sword hanging over your head," I answered. 

"Good. Riley."

"Nothing to do with me," Riley said and put her hand up in the air. Maya copies are making me laugh again.

* * *

 

**Hotel**

Maya, Dad, and I walked through the hallways of the hotel that the party was taking place, while Riley was doing her party girl walk.

"Well, looky here, teacher daddy, nothing hanging over my head except this here halo of popularity." Riley told dad, before facing Maya and me, "And yay for you, my best friend, and my sister, for watching me with a smile."

"Yeah, we're smiling; we're watching." Maya and I smirked.

As we were talking to each other 'cool hipster-boy' as Riley called him passed by us and walked into the party, Riley tries to act cool.

"All right, all right. Half hour you can stay. I'm waiting right here." Dad told Riley as she rang the doorbell. The doorbell buzzes.

Dad turned towards Maya and me, "I changed my mind. I want you two in there." he told Maya and I. "Protect your friend. Protect your twin."

"We can't do that, sir. Wasn't invited." Maya told Dad.

"Plus I have a sleepover today." I shrugged at him.

"Why is that exactly?" Dad asked us.

"About to find out, sir," Maya replied.

"Smile," I told dad turning him around to face the hotel door. "Watch."

Farkle opens the door. "Greetings, fellow partygoer." Farkle greeted Riley.

Riley looked shocked, "Farkle?"

"Starting to become clear, daddy?" I asked him.

"Oh yeah. I'm smiling real big." Dad grinned.

"Announcing the arrival of party guest number six, female number one," Farkle announced to the room.

"I'm a female, Farkle." Isadora Smackle said doing a weird pose.

"You getting this yet?" Maya asked Riley

"But pretty boy... pretty boy's still here," Riley replied, pointing at the so-called pretty boy.

"Wait for it," I told her. 'Pretty boy' took off his coat and turned out to be two geeks on top of each other.

"That's the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life." Dad laughed.

"It's a geek party!" Riley exclaimed.

"We know, honey." Maya and I told her.

"Everybody welcome Riley," Farkle said, the geeks start speaking in a foreign language.

"Honey, stay an hour. Stay a week, stay forever. Just enjoy." Dad told her laughing. "Hey, you know what would make this just perfect for me?"

"Have you noticed the lightsabers hanging from the ceiling precariously over your head? " A geek said pointing at the whirring lightsaber.

"Damocles," Riley mutters.

I snickered, "There it is."

"I know." Maya laughed.

As the door closes on us, I wipe my eyes of the tears that had fallen from laughing so hard. I look at Dad. "Fun's over, time for you to drop me at the Cooper's," I told him.

"Okay, " he replied still laughing a bit.

I looked over at Maya, "You wanna come?" I asked her.

"And hang out with your spoiled, prissy dance friends," she said sarcastically. "No thank you."

I rolled my eyes at her, "They're not spoiled nor are they prissy." I told her. " Besides you like Amy."

She shrugged at me, "Still no." she told me.

"Do you want me to drop you home," Dad asked her.

"Sure Mr.Matthew." she smiled at me. 

The three of us left the hotel.

* * *

 

**Ish-Shalom Home**

I was sitting on Amelia's bed, telling her Eloise, Asher, and Maximo about my school year so far. They all looked at me like I had lost my mind before they all broke out laughing. Let me tell you a little something about my friends; they are my world; they keep me sane. Sitting on the bed with me is Amelia Maeve Ish-Shalom, who I met in dance when I was two, she's kind of like Maya, a little rebellious and a whole lot of sassy. Not only do we dance together, but our Mom's work in the same law firm. Leaning on my leg is Amelia's brother, Maximo Miles Ish-Shalom, he's a year older than us but one of the sweetest, most kind, most... well I can keep going basically, his the best. On the floor next to him his, his best friend, Asher Ray Reed. Ash is work, but when it comes down to it, he's always got your back whether your wrong or right. Sitting on the bean bag is the newest member of our little group is, Eloise Aurora Frost. Eloise moved to New York from England two years ago, but it's like she's been there from the start, she's quirky, she's out there, but still sensible, she's the older sister I always wanted, and her fashion is to die for.

THUMP! Amelia fell off the bed making them laugh, even more, I rolled my eyes at all of them.

"So Maya, almost burned.......down your.....class." Amelia laughed from the floor.

"Riley defeated a pink sweater wearing boulder." Eloise grinned. "And you have a new sister in Maya." 

"Farkle took Lucas's moment...... twice," Maximo told me calming down.

"And last but not least, Riley's at a geek party," Asher told me.

"Well, Yes," I told them. They all broke into laughter again. "Okay fine when you guys put it like that it is kind of funny, how crazy this two months have been."

Maximo sighed, "Crazy doesn't even describe it."

"How are you sane?" Eloise asked me.

Amelia got up from the floor and joined me back on her bed. "She's used to it," she answered for me. "Its call the Riley effect. No normal day is possible."

I rolled my eyes at her, "Stop calling it that." She smirked at me.

"So what do you think is going to happen next?" Max asked me.

"What do you mean?" Asher asked him. 

"It's either she embraces it her she learns her lesson," Eloise said.

"I personally think, she's going to embrace the geek chic," Amelia told us.

"I disagree," Max told her.

"Me too." Eloise agreed.

"Me Three." Asher also agreed. "Mr. Matthew's lesson is over."

"Okay then," Amelia smirked. "If you guys are right, I have to do each of you a favor, that can be called upon at any time, but if I'm right the three of you each owe me the same."

The three of them share a look, before agreeing.

"Okay, then I'll text you guys what happens tomorrow," I told them. "Now can we go eat I'm starving." They all agreed.

Amelia got up and grabbed Asher and Eloise's arms, dragging them out of the room. "We'll go get the food you two stay in here," she told Max and me.

As soon as the three of them left, I started giggling.

"My sister," Max chuckled. "The subtleties of an elephant."

Max got off the floor and joined me on the bed.

"You didn't answer my question," he told me laying on the pillows. I turned to face him and raised my eyebrow. "What do you think it's going to happen with Riley?"

"Personally...I have no idea" I confessed to him. "Why do you think she learned her lesson."

He shrugged a little, "She's your twin. If she's half the person, you are then she learned her lesson."

I smiled at him, "Thanks, but the only person that as meet Riley in our little group is Amelia. Riley might be my twin, but that's where the similarity ends. Riley's the better twin; she's the innocent one."

"I disagree," he told me. "Riley's the more naive twin." I glared at him, but he still kept going. "Riley doesn't know much about the world, while you do. You are the more realistic one, you know what the world is like, yet it doesn't stop you from been caring, kind, joyful, and hopeful. In my opinion your the better twin." 

I could feel my face heating up, I turned away from him to compose myself, and when I turned back, Max's face was an inch away from mine. I leaned in closer, our lips almost touching.....

BAAM! Asher barged into the room holding pizza. Max and I jumped away from each other, causing Max to hit his head on the headboard. Asher looked at the two of us confused. 

"What?" he asked looking between the two of us. "Oww," he screamed. Eloise and Amelia slapped him across the head.

"You idiot!" Amelia yelled at him.

"Do you have any common sense." Eloise berated him.

I smiled. Yeah, this are my best friends, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class.**

Mrs. Cooper dropped me off at school the next morning; I made my way to history class. I wanted to hear from Riley how the party went and to see if Amelia was right in her prediction. When I entered the class I saw that Maya and Riley had not arrived yet I shrugged my shoulder and sat in my seat, a few seconds later Lucas came over to me, and we started a conversation. 

We were still talking a few minutes later when Maya charged into the classroom and grabbed Farkle by the shirt. "Okay, Farkle. Where is she?"

"Maya what are you doing!" I exclaimed at her. They both ignored me.

"Whatever have I done to deserve this display of affection?" Farkle asked her.

"This looks like affection to you?" Maya said.

"I take it however I get it," he told her smacking his lips. "Right there, nurse."

Maya looked disgusted, "She wasn't there when I tried to pick her up this morning, and I couldn't find her in the halls."

"What!" I said before shoving Maya away and grabbing on to Farkle's shirt myself. "What'd you do with my girl?"

"Maya, Rose, release the Farkle." We heard Riley's voice from behind. Maya and I turned around only for our mouths to drop. I quickly took a picture and sent it to my friends.  "Farkle didn't do anything except open my eyes to what the world really thinks I am."

I raised an eyebrow at her, "A Harajuku girl?"

"Yes, because I figure if what I am is nerdy-geeky, I'm going to set the nerdy-geeky world on fire," she explained to us.

"You take it," Maya told Dad.

"Nope, beyond me. All yours." Dad told me.

"Not going to happen. I don't even know where to start." I replied. 

Riley sighs, "Why should I struggle to be popular when I can be these people's empress fairy queen?" she asked us, before sitting in her seat.

"Ha!" Farkle laughs

"No, please. The one guy was two guys. The sword fell." Maya tried to reason with her.

"This is the way you're gonna go?" I asked her. "You're gonna embrace this?"

"Deal with it. I've gone over to the dork side." Riley told us.

"This isn't you," Maya told her.

"This is her," Farkle said. I glared at him, causing him to shut up.

"They love this me," Riley told us, like that explained everything.

"We're not changing you back," I told her, gesturing to Maya and myself.

"Oh, yes you are. My other daughter is going through this week's crazy... You get in there." Dad told us. 

"Father, may we continue with the lesson? I seek knowledge." Riley told him

Dad turned back to us, "Never mind, leave her alone." he told us.

"Look at her." Maya and I said, pointing to Riley, who had her head stuck deep in the textbook.

Dad smiled, before running towards the geeks, "All right, what do you guys know about girls?"

"Mostly we're terrified of them, sir." geek number 1 answered. The other geeks nodded their heads in agreement.

"So we try to keep our distance." geek number 2 said.

"Well, then I choose empress fairy nut job." Dad grinned.

Maya and I shared a worried look.

* * *

 

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class.**

Maya, Riley and I were walking into history class the next day. Riley still hadn't changed back, and Maya and I wear trying to convince her too.

"Come on," Maya told Riley. "This is not who you are." 

"What do you know about being a Harajuku girl?" I asked her.

"I don't have to know anything except that they love it," she told us. I rolled my eyes at her. "Sorry, Maya, Rose. I walk with a different crowd now. And as you can see, I am quite the influence on them." We turned to see all the geeks dressed in bright colors. I groaned.

"Maya? Rose?" Dad called.

"She's... Gone, sir/Dad." Maya and I told him

"Yes, she is," Farkle says.

* * *

 

**Matthews Apartment Dining/Living Room Area**

Maya texted me that she was going to give it another shot with Riley. I decided to leave her to it. I stayed in my room and Face-timed my friends. Amelia was bragging about how she was right, while everybody else whined over the fact that the now owe her a favor, knowing Amelia it's going to be something wild. I left my room a while later and headed to the dining table to do my homework. When I got there, I saw that Auggie and Dad were already there. I greeted them before sitting down. Auggie and Dad conversed with each other, while I did my history homework, asking Dad a few questions here and then.

Auggie, Dad, and I were still at the table when Riley and mom came in. This should be interesting. Mom and Riley walked past each other, before turning around and facing each other.

"How you doing?" They asked each other at the same time.  

"Daddy?" Auggie and I called. 

"Yup?" Dad answered. 

"We're the normal ones, right?" we asked him.

"I hope so, bubbas," he replied. We turned our attention back to Mom and Riley.

"What is this?" Mom asked Riley.

"What is that?" Riley asked her in return.

"This is who I am inside." Mom told her. "It's the part of me your father fell in love with a long time ago. 

"This is what's inside of you?" Riley asked her. 

"Yeah, might be the best part." Mom answered. "Is this the best part of you?" 

"I'm extremely popular with five people," Riley explained.

"Is one of them you?" Mom asked her. Riley's eyes widened, and the two of them sat down to talk.

"Weird mommy's cool," Auggie said.

"Way cool." Dad and I agreed.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School, History Class. The Spelling Bee.**

Maya and I decided to attend the Spelling Bee competition. We had a plan, and if this one fails, then we really would lose Riley.

"Welcome, to this qualifying round of the city regional spelling bee between our own John Quincy Adams middle school..." Dad said everybody clapped "...and Einstein academy." more applause. 

"Formidable opponents... And Smackle." Farkle said with content. I kind of want Farkle to lose as punishment. Is that mean. Yes. Do I care? Not at this moment.

"I will destroy you." Smackle threatened him. 

"I am energy; you can't destroy energy." Farkle told her "Ha!"

"I love you." Smackle mouthed when Farkle wasn't paying attention to her.

"Riley, get up there and show us who you really are," Farkle told Riley when her name was called. Riley got on the podium.

"Okay, Miss Matthews. Your first word is..." Dad started before Maya passed him a card. "Maya, Rose, you can't..." 

"Check out the word, Mr. Matthews," Maya told him.

"Maya, Rose,  what are you doing?" Riley asked us.

"Hey, Farkle's not the only one with a master plan," I smirked.

"Miss Matthews, your word is Harajuku," Dad told her.

"Excuse me?" she asked him in surprise. 

"Harajuku," Dad told her. 

"Uh, may I have the meaning of the word?" she asked him. 

"Oh, you don't know?" Dad asked her. 

"Then let me tell you," I say to her. "It's a real neighborhood in Japan, where authentic Japanese girls have created an authentic look and life for themselves that is unique to them." 

"Country of origin?" she asked. 

"Are you kidding me?" Dad asked her. 

"Can I hear it in a sentence?" she asked him. 

Maya steps forward, "Yeah. 'Stop pretending to be a Harajuku girl, because you're not; you're Riley.' R-i-l-e-y." 

"Five seconds, miss Matthews, or you're eliminated," Dad told her. 

"What do you mean eliminated?" she asked in surprise. 

"It means you wouldn't be part of the group anymore," Farkle explained to her sadly.

Riley took a deep breath before answering. "Harajuku, something I'm n-o-t, not," she got off the podium and faced Farkle and the geeks. "Sorry, Farkle. It was a lovely party, and your friends are really pretty cool.

"We are?" Geek 1 chuckles. 

"We've never been called that before." Geek 2 smiled.

"Thanks, Riley," Farkle told her. "We feel the same way about you." Just then the bell rings, and Riley walks towards Maya and me.

"Well, I guess we're back to where popular is gonna be kinda hard, huh?" Riley asked Maya and me.

"We wouldn't know," Maya answered her.

"And let's not try so hard to find out," I told them.

 

* * *

**Svorki's Bakery**

 

Riley, Maya and I were sitting at one of the tables at Svorki's Bakery. 

"You know what the best thing is about being yourself?" Riley asked Maya and me

"What?" we asked her.

"You're always popular with your best friend and twin," she answered. Three of us smiled at each other.


	7. Girl Meets Maya's Mother

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Art Classroom.**

I was in Art class with the others, I was sitting to Riley's right, while Maya sat to her left. I was drawing a picture of Riley and Maya when Farkle walks in wearing a robe. 

"Why draw fruit? Let's draw a real work of art. That's right check out 48 lbs of nasty." Farkle said before dropping his robe.

"No!" Maya, Riley, and I screamed covering our eyes.

"Well.." Ms. Kossal, the art teacher chuckle. "Looky here. The male... physique."

"Why thank you, art lady," Farkle told her.

"Why aren't we drawing Lucas?" Riley asks her.

Ms.Kossal looks over at Lucas, "Because nobody looks like that." she told us, she walks over to Farkle and grabs his shoulder. "Get used to this. Get used to this right now. When drawing a "Farkle," start with the eyes."

"I think the eyes should go straight to the gun show," Farkle told the class, flexing his so-called muscles.

"Maya, you're supposed to concentrate on the eyes," Riley told Maya. I looked over to see Maya drawing Farkle in a birds nest.

"That's a great drawing, Maya," I told her.

"See, you know what my problem is? I don't listen," she told Riley before looking over at me. "Thanks, Rose."

I smiled at her, "Your welcome." I turned to face Riley. "By the way, you're drawing Lucas."

Riley looks down at her work, before looking up and smiles at Lucas. "Oh. Well, that's the first time I've ever done that."

Maya flips Riley's notebook to the next page to reveal a drawing of a bowl of fruit with Lucas' face on every fruit.

"Do I need help?" Riley asks us.

Maya and I both nod.

"All right, I know these are works in progress, but let's see where we are." Ms. Kossal said walking around the art room.

"Maybe we'll become famous artists. We'll go to Paris;" Riley says standing up "drink coffee in outdoor cafes." she mimics drinking coffee. "How do I look?"

Maya hums a tune as she draws Riley. She shows the drawing to Riley. I laugh when I see it. It was a cartoon drawing of Riley in Paris drinking coffee near the Elffie Tower

"Fine, make fun of me. I am a serious artist who belongs in Paris," she told us, before turning to Lucas. "Bonjour, Lucas."

Lucas smiles at her, "Bonjour, Riley. Peut-être qu'un jour, vous et moi nous irons à Paris ensemble." he told her in french.

"Je suis sûr qu'elle aimerait aller avec vous en France un jour Lucas." I told him, we both looked to Riley waiting for her response. 

"Bonjour, Lucas," Riley said, still smiling. She obviously had no idea what we were saying.

"Oh my gosh." Ms. Kossal exclaimed as she approached us.

Riley smiles widely, "See? I am an artist. I am finally something."

"Maya." Ms. Kossal says.

"What a life I'm having," Riley said annoyed. I patted her on the back.

"Maya. My goodness." Ms. Kossal says holding up Maya's work for the class to see. "This is brilliant!"

"Farkle is in a bird's nest." Riley deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes at her, "It's a work of surrealism."

"Correct," Ms. Kossal agreed. "It's how this artist's mind views the subject."

"I'm a bird to you?" Farkle as her incredulously.

"No, you just... need to be protected," Maya told him shyly.

"You love me." Farkle smiled.

"Leave me alone," Maya growled out.

"Maya, there's a school exhibit coming up. I want one of your pieces in it." Ms. Kossal told her.

"What about my piece?" Riley asked her.

"That's a cute top," Ms.Kossal said instead of commenting on her drawing.

"No thanks, Ms. Kossal, I don't draw for other people to look at, but thank you," Maya told Ms. Kossal.

"I'd appreciate you thinking about it, okay?" Ms.Kossal asked her.

Farkle gets up to leave. 

"Where are you headed, Farkle?" I ask him

"Gym class. That should go well, right?"

"Wait," Maya said, she looked towards Ms. Kossal. "You didn't comment on Rose's drawing."

I glared over at her; there was only a minute of class left, I was hoping Ms.Kossal wouldn't notice. Maya smirks at me.

I tried to cover my drawing, but Ms.Kossal had already sawed it. She took it from me and held it up for the class to see. The whole class wowed. Maya and Riley look at me in shock. It was a drawing of Maya and Riley, Riley was hugging Maya from the back, and the both of them were smiling.

"Miss Perfect strikes again." I heard somebody mutter. I tried to hide behind my easel.

"This is amazing; you captured the friendship between them perfectly. Unlike Maya, I'm not given you a choice; one of your pieces will be at the school exhibit." Ms.Kossal told me.

"But..." she cut me off.

"Think of it as punishment for not drawing the subject matter." she raised one eyebrow at me daring me to disagree.

"Yes, ma'am," I told her just as the bell rang.

* * *

**The Matthews' Apartment, Dining Table**

It was dinner time, and like always the day's events are being discussed. I was silent, frowning down at my dinner, I wasn't really in the mood to talk. I could tell that I was worrying my parents, my Mom opened her mouth to ask me what was wrong, when I was saved by Riley who was standing by the refrigerator.

"They've been lying to you, Auggie," she told Auggie, before taking her seat next to me. "Your artwork would not hang on a single refrigerator outside this apartment."

Auggie looks at Mom in disappointment, "You said I was a little genius."

"Oh, you are a little genius." Mom said hugging him.

"You said I was a little genius," Riley told her.

"So how was school today, Rose." Mom said ignoring her. "You seem a little down."

I shrugged my shoulder, "Mrs.Kossal is making me do a piece for the school art exhibit." I told her. "I didn't paint the subject matter, so this is her way of punishing me."

"Well, that doesn't seem so bad. You must have drawn something great in her class though if she wants you in the exhibit." Mom told me. "Let me see what you drew." 

"I don't think that's needed," I told her nervously. 

Mom raised one eyebrow at me; she held her hand out. I sighed, I got up from the table and walked over to the couch, where my bag was. I opened up my bag and reached inside for the drawing after I got it I closed my bag and headed back to the table. I handed the drawing to Mom, Auggie and Dad peaked at it from her side. They looked at it in amazement.

"Wow." Auggie and Dad said before returning to there dinner. I giggle at them; I guess eating was more important to them.

"This is beautiful Rose." Mom smiled softly at me; I smiled back at her. "I have two genius!"

"Hey!" Riley exclaimed at her.

"Nice top." Mom told her. I laughed at that; I'm starting to feel better.

"Maya and Rose are going to be a famous artist and everybody speaks French but me," Riley complained.

"Ma soeur Riley. Vous êtes une fille très simple et des gens comme vous." Auggie told her.

"The French lessons have been given you have paid off," I told him proudly.

Mom hugs Auggie again, "You are going to change the world with your brilliant mind."

Riley stares at her.

"That top is really cute." Mom told her.

"Are there any more of these mashed potatoes?" Dad asked.

Riley looked at him incredulously, "That's what you're thinking about right now?"

"Riley, this whole 'what-am I-good-at' thing? I've been there my whole life." Dad told her. "It's a waste of time. You know what's not a waste of time? Mashed potatoes. You know why? They never let you down. They're the best in the world at what they do. So don't be mashed potatoes, because they're better at that than you could ever be."

"What?" I asked him confused.

"How are you helping me?" Riley asked him.

"Can I eat a meal?" Dad asked her in return.

"What about you guys?" I asked our parents. "Do you have any talents?" 

"Yeah," Riley said. "Did I inherit anything from you two?" 

Mom snorts, "Should we tell them?"

Dad also snorts, "You think they're ready?"

"Your father has a gift for-" Mom started

"Gimme! Gimme. I'll take anything." Riley said, leaning over expectantly.

"-Close-up magic!" Mom finished.

I laughed, "Really?"

"Huh?" Riley asked disappointedly. 

"That's right. He's a close-up magician." Mom told us. "Yay."

"What is a-- What is that?" Riley asked them.

"What is that? Oh, I don't know." Dad said getting up and walking over to Auggie. " Maybe it's a little something like... I go over to this guy over here-- " he pats Auggie. "Hi. How are you? Good." he then walks back to his seat. "And then I ask a little question like,  _ Hey! Where's the salt? Anybody saw the salt? _ "

"I don't see the salt, Daddy. The salt's gone." Auggie said searching the table for the salt.

"Is it, Auggie? Is it gone? Or is it--" Dad said waving his finger likes he's doing magic. "piddly-probably-pa-poom!"

Auggie pulls out the salt from his pocket and gasps, "What the...?"

"That was already there," Riley told Dad.

"I swear, Riley," Auggie said slamming the salt down on the table. "I swear!"

"Do it right now with the pepper," Riley commanded Dad.

"Pepper? Nobody could do pepper." Dad says, waving his fingers again. "Peppery-poppily-pa-poom!"

Auggie takes out the pepper from his pocket and gasps, "Nobody could do pepper! What aren't you famous?!"

I clapped, "That was pretty good Dad."

"See? He's very good. You come from a very talented family." Mom told Riley.

"Close-up magic? Really? What am I supposed to do with that?" Riley asked upset. "Mom, could you please help me out with something that I could actually use? Do you have a talent?"

Mom starts to snicker.

"Does she?" Dad asked, causing Mom to laugh. "Does she? Your mom-"

Mom cuts him off, "Don't you dare."

"Your mom's hips don't lie!" Dad exclaimed. I gained a disgusted look on my face.

"Cory Matthews!" Mom reprimanded him.

"I don't think this is an appropriate conversation for young ears," I told them. They both of them glared at me, causing me to raise my hands up. "Just saying."

"Whoo-hoo! Do it, mommy!" Auggie told her. Oh to be young, and naive.

"No, no, no. No, I am not gonna do it." Mom said before giving in.  "All right, fine. I'll do it."

"Okay, do it! Yeah!" Dad said excitedly.

Mom puts her hands on her hips, "It goes a little something like this." she starts to move her hips in a circular motion. "Ay yai yai yai, ay yai yai yai, ay yai yai yai, ay yai, ay yai yai yai."

Riley puts her head down, and I quickly run to my bag to take out my cell phone, so I could record this.

Dad and Auggie get up and join Mom. "Hey Riley, pa-poom!" Dad told her.

Riley takes out the salt from her pocket.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History Classroom**

We are in history class, and I know I should be paying attention, but I was more focused on what I was going to draw for the art exhibit. It as to be something special. I decide instead of being mad about being forced to do this, I'm going to embrace it, and draw something amazing. Now, what should I draw?

"All right, future history makers. Welcome to career day." Dad said starting the class. "Now there are a lot of ways to make your mark on the world."

Mom enters the room, "Hi Riley, Hi Rose."

"Oh great, Shakira is here." Riley and I said sarcastically.

Riley turns to Maya, "Where's your mom?" 

"She won't be coming," Maya answered her.

"But she told you she was coming," Riley argued.

"Here we go," I mutter sharing a look with Maya.

"Yes, she did." Maya nodded.

"Let this go Riley." I sighed.

"Okay, guys, our first guest today is a lawyer, and I likes her," Dad told the class. "Hey, lawyer lady, how's about we go out sometime? I get off work every day at 3:15... Except Tuesdays. I got playground."

"Once again young ears in the premises," I told them, they both glared at me. I smiled at them innocently; they make this too easy sometimes.

"So I am an attorney. I got here through a lot of hard work in school. By the time I was your age, I had 350 'A _ s. _ " Mom explained to the class.

There was a knock on the back door.

"Your mom-- There she is." Riley smiled.

Dad opens the door, "Minkus." he hisses as Farkle's Dad, Stuart Minkus comes in.

"Or maybe not," I said. 

"Topanga." Mr. Minkus smiles.

"Stuart." Mom nods at him.

"Topanga," he says again walking over to Farkle.

"Father." Farkle greets.

"Farkle." Mr.Minkus greets back.

Lucas looked at them in surprise, "Wait a minute." 

"Yes?" Farkle asked him.

"He's your father?" Lucas asked.

"Look at us," Farkle said as him, and his father smiled. They looked like twins.

"Your name is Farkle Minus?" Lucas asked.

"Don't wear it out," Farkle told him.

"I don't know how you could." Lucas chuckled.

Mr. Minkus gets up and walks to the front of the class, "Sorry I'm late, everybody. I had helicopter problems, 'cause I have a helicopter. Do you have a helicopter, Cory?"

"Nope. Do you have a Topanga, Minkus?"Dad asked him.

"Nope, because she chose you. I run Minkus International, I have a helicopter, and she chose you." Mr.Minkus said.

"Stuart, please. Aren't we a little too evolved to still be competing with each other?" Mom told him.

"Of course." Mr.Minkus laughs.

"Of course." Mom also laughs.

"Go," they said at the same time, turning to face each other.

"Leave me out of this," I said already knowing what was about to happen.

"Fine." Mom hisses. "Between the two of us, Riley and I have 1260 'A _ s. Ha! _ "

"That's remarkable, Topanga. Between the two of us, Farkle and I have 1261." Mr.Minkus bragged.

"Ha!" Farkle laughed.

"Ha!" Mr. Minkus laughed too.

Mom looks at Dad intimidatingly causing Dad to scream a little. "I-- I had to, Topanga. He's a lot smarter than I am." Dad said in his defense.

"But what's more important to me than anything... is that I have this guy. Come up here, son." Mr.Minkus said. Farkle walks up to stand in front of his Dad.

"Come up here, daughter. You too Rose." Mom commanded Riley and me. "Look how tall they are. They have been taller than me since the day they were born."

Mr. Minkus pushes his Farkle up a little bit.

"Well, very nice. Good for you guys." Dad said. "So this is what Career Day is really all about."

"Yeah, I love it every year," Maya said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Maya. Maybe your mom just got a little busy." Dad told her.

"Are you okay?" Riley and I ask her.

"I'm always okay," she replied to us. Riley and I grab Maya's hands and pull her up, so she's in between us. "Yeah, thanks."

"So these are the three ladies you tell me keep chasing you, huh?" Mr. Minkus asks Farkle.

"Please." whispers to us.

I sigh, "Yes sir, it is us." I say at the same time as Riley.

"I'm not doing it," Maya said. Riley and I elbow her. "Yes, sir, it is us. We hope that one day one of us will be lucky enough to become the future Mrs. Farkle Minkus and have a lot of baby minkii."

**The Matthews' Apartment, Riley's Bedroom.**

Riley, Maya was sitting on the bay window, I was lying on Riley's bed. I finally decided what I was going to do for the art exhibit and was doing a preliminary sketch for it.

"Why won't you show your art?" Riley asked Maya.

"Because I'm-- I'm fine believing that nothing much is going to happen for me. Otherwise, I'm full of hope. You hope for things; you get disappointed." Maya explained to her.

"What reason could your mom have for not showing up, Maya?" Riley asked her. "You're right; I did expect her."

"And I didn't. See? Only one of us is disappointed." Maya told her.

"And only one of us will never let this go. You know that." Riley replied.

"I don't expect out of life what you expect, Riley," Maya said.

"What do I expect?" Riley asked confused.

"Want me to take this?" I asked Maya looking up from my sketch; she nodded at me. "You expect... good things. You expect people to keep promises and people to show up."

"You don't?" Riley asked Maya.

"Riley, I'm not one of those dreamers like you," Maya told her.

"If your mom saw your art, doesn't it make sense that she'd be proud of you?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, it makes sense to you. Riley, you need to be okay with this." Maya told her. "Do you understand that finally, something is beyond your control? Look, I know you can't control your twisted need to fix people's lives."

"She's not gonna let this go," I told Maya returning to my sketch.

"I'm begging you." I could hear Maya plead with her. "Rose help."

"No point in trying," I told her not looking up. "Hopefully it won't turn out so bad."

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School History Classroom**

We were in class waiting for Dad to start the class. I had this gut feeling that something horrible was going to happen. On the bright side I finished my preliminary sketch and just had to work on the final one.

"The Korean War," Dad said starting his class.

"Genghis Khan." Farkle interrupted.

"What?" Dad asked him confused.

Farkle shrugged, "I just wanted to see what would happen." 

All of the sudden Maya's Mom walks through the front door. "Hello, Cory Matthews. I am so sorry for interrupting."

"Oh no," Maya said.

"Oh, it's going to be bad," I told her, she glared at me.

"Nothing to forgive, Katy," Dad told her. "Class, this is Maya's mother, Katy Hart."

"Mom, what are you doing?" Maya asked her. "It was yesterday."

"Yesterday I was unable to attend your little job fair," Ms.Hart said.

"Career Day." Maya corrected.

"Yesterday I was trapped... in my vehicle... in the rushing flood waters of the mighty Colorado River! To make matters worse, I just found out I was about to have a baby any second. So I crawled myself through the sunroof, and I said, 'Let's do this thing.' Then I commenced to deliver my own baby until finally, I heard that wonderful, magical sound." she explained to us. She suddenly she starts to mimic a baby crying. "'Mama? Are you my mama?'"

"Maya?" Riley and I asked confused.

"Soap opera. She was auditioning for a soap opera." Maya explains to us. We nod in understanding.

"Can you believe I didn't get it?" Ms.Hart asks.

"Yes!" the whole class responds.

Ms.Hart laughs awkwardly, "Yes. I am an actress. Are there any questions I can answer for anyone?"

Farkle raises his hand up.

"Ah, yes, the Farkle," she calls on him.

"Why are you wearing a waitress outfit?" Farkle asks.

"Anyone else?" Ms.Hart says, avoiding the question.

Lucas raises is hand up.

"Yes, the pretty, young man right there," Ms.Hart says.

"Yeah, thanks. Um, why are you wearing a waitress outfit?" Lucas asks her.

"My dad says actors are a bunch of people who never grew up." Our classmate Sarah speaks up.

Ms.Hart chuckles, "What does your dad do?"

"He's a director," Sarah tells her.

"Is he?" Ms.Hart asks. "Well, I'm sure your father never gave me a job either, which is the real reason I wear this outfit every day. Well, I'll just be going now." Maya's Mom exits the classroom.

Riley walks out the door to catch up to Maya's mother in the hallway.

A few minutes later Maya follows them.

"This is your fault," I told Dad. He looked at me offended, "Well she suddenly doesn't get the meddling in other people life from Mom." 

Dad shrugs, "Yeah your right."

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Art Classroom**

We were in art class, this time Riley was the model for today.

Ms. Kossal was explaining to us how to draw a woman's features, "Drawing a woman's face is different than drawing a man's. Look for subtle differences. The lips are different."

Riley turns in her seat to face Maya, "No matter what, don't get mad at me, okay?"

"I could never," Maya told Riley, still drawing.

"To paint a young woman's lips, she needs to stop flapping them." Ms.Kossal reprimanded Riley.

"Because if I have any talent at all, it's this, so don't get mad at me."

"I could never," Maya told her again.

"Because when the mouth is moving, it will affect all the sketches. And they all come out like this." Ms. Kossal said as she holds up two sketches of Riley with her mouth open. She puts the sketched down and walks towards Maya and I. "Except for this one. You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" she asked Maya.

Maya looked up at her, "Uh, it's not because I'm disrespectful."

"It's because you're an artist." Ms. Kossal explained to her. "I'm glad you decided to display your work. I got your note in my teacher's box."

My eyes widened, "Riley what did you do?!" 

Maya glared at Riley.

"That's the thing you're not supposed to get mad at," Riley told Maya.

"The exhibit starts at 6:00. It's thrilling seeing your art displayed; you won't regret it." Ms. Kossal said walking out of the classroom.

"You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" Maya asked Riley.

"I-It's not because I'm disrespectful. It's because you're an artist." Riley said mimicking Maya and Ms. Kossal.

"Yeah? Then let me paint you something." Maya told her as she grabs a brush and throws green paint at Riley's face. The whole class ran for the doors except for me.

Riley gasps before sighing, " Okay. Maya, I am your best friend, and I will always do my best by you, no matter what you... " she grabs the paintbrush and dabs Maya's face with red paint. "say." 

"And who made you the king of friendship?" Maya paints Riley's face green.

Riley chuckles and paints Maya's face red, "I did, I made myself the king of friendship. And this would be my first act as a king." she then grabs red paint with her hands and covers Maya in paint. They two of them start throwing paint at each other. 

I decided it was time for me to step in, "Okay that's enough!" I reprimanded them. They both looked at me, before looking back at the paint. I glared hard at them. "I dare you." I hissed at them.

"She started it!" they yelled pointing paint covered fingers at each other.

I rolled my eyes, "How old are you two three."

Ms.Kossal walks back into the classroom; I guess somebody told her what was going on."Whoa! Riley... This is the most authentic piece you've done all semester. Now clean it up. See you tonight, Maya." she said before walking back out.

"One other thing-- I invited your mom," Riley told Maya.

I sighed and handed Maya a bowl of purple paint, which she gave to Riley. Riley takes the bowel and sighs, dropping the paint on top of her head.

* * *

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Art Exhibit.**

Maya and I were standing by our art. I looked over at her to see her smiling when parents would stop by to see her work.

"So..." I started facing her. "Exceptions aren't so bad after all," she shrugged her shoulder and smiled at me. I smiled back at her.

"How's it going?" Maya and I turned to see Riley, Farkle, and Lucas coming up to us.

"It's going fine." Maya and I told her.

"What does your Mom think?" Riley asked Maya. Maya gives her a confused look.

"She never showed up," I told Riley

"It's just you guys," Maya said gesturing to our friends.

"Are you telling me your Mom never showed up?" Riley asked upset.

Maya shakes her head, "No. But of course, you did." she said pointing at Mom and Dad as they walked over.

"Hey, Maya. Wow, you really have some talent." Mom told her. "Look at that place."

"I bet it's got great mashed potatoes," Dad said. I shake my head at him, what does mash potatoes have to do with anything right now.

"Look at that lady; why can you only see half of her?" Farkle asked. Lucas wraps Farkle's mouth with his forearms from behind. "Oh."

Riley huffs before walking out of the room. She was probably going to hunt down Maya's Mom.

"Well, that just happened," I said. I noticed that my parents were oddly silent. I looked at them to see them focus on my drawing. 

All of a sudden mom came up to me and gave me a tight hug. "It's beautiful," she said once she let go of me.

Dad came and held mom from behind. "We have such talented children," he told me. I smiled at them softly, before looking at my drawing. 

"I just have great muses," I told the two of them, they grinned at me. I had drawing Mom and them holding each other in a sweet embrace.

**John Quincy Adams Middle School Art Exhibit.**

A few hours later, the art exhibit was closing and Maya, and I were cleaning up our station while we waited for Riley to return.

"You guys really don't have to stay," Maya told my parents who were waiting with us.

"Are you kidding?" Dad asked. "We love supporting the middle school art scene."

"Yeah, we even bought a drawing, well besides Roses'." Mom told her, she holds up sketch of Riley with her mouth wide open. "You have to wonder who this silly, little weirdo is." 

I giggled known precisely who they silly little weirdo is.

Riley walks back in and opens her mouth widely

"Aw... It's our silly, little weirdo" Mom said hugging her.

"Thank you for staying with Maya and me." I told them

"Always," Dad said before he and Mom walked away.

"I couldn't get her to come, and I'm very disappointed," Riley told us when they were gone.

"We know," I told her. 

"You expect too much," Maya said.

"This is hard on me," Riley said.

"You need a hug, darling?" I asked her. She nods, and I and Maya gather her into a hug.

"Maya, I was wrong," Riley told Maya after we let go of each other.

"No, Riley, you were right," Maya told her.

"I'm very confused," Riley said.

"I showed my work. People liked it. It made me feel like I could be something someday." Maya explained.

"You will be," I told her. 

"You are now," Riley told her.

"Thank you." she thanked us.

"You're welcome." Riley and I say. 

"Do you guys want some tuna melt?" Riley asks us.

"No thank you," I said.

"You know why she gave this to you?" Maya asked Riley.

"Why?" Riley and I asked her.

"She knows it's my favorite thing there," Maya told us. "She knew that you'd share with me."

"I'd be happy to give you the whole thing," Riley told her.

"I know you would,"Maya said before looking at her painting. "I'll be just fine with half."

**The Matthews' Apartment, Dining Table.**

After we left the Art Exhibit, Mom and Dad invited Maya and the Minkuses over to our apartment for dinner. We were all eating dinner when Dad spoke up.

"And Riley... for your excellence in your display of unwavering hope for others, I'm giving you an 'A.'" Dad said. I rolled my eyes knowing this was Mom's work.

"Ha!" Mom laughed. I knew it.

"What?" Mr. MInkus asked incredulously.

"Can he do that?" Farkle asked looking around.

"I does whatever she wants," Dad said gesturing to Mom.

"Yeah, so would I." Mr. Minkus sighed. I looked at him confused, wasn't he married.

"I come from a very talented family," Riley said.

"We sure do." I smiled at her.

"What am I talented at?" Auggie asked.

"You're gonna find it someday, honey." Mom told him.

Auggie stands up and goes to the living room and sings Italian opera. After he was done, he looked to be in taught before saying. "Nah." 

When he walked back, we all got up from our seats and cheer him, throwing roses in the air.

* * *

**A/N: Here are the translation for the French words.**

**Bonjour, Lucas:** Hello, Lucas.

**Bonjour, Riley. Peut-être qu'un jour, vous et moi nous irons à Paris ensemble:** Hello, Riley. Maybe one day you and I will go to Paris together.

**Je suis sûr qu'elle aimerait aller avec vous en France un jour Lucas:** I'm sure she would like to go with you to France one day Lucas.

**Ma soeur Riley. Vous êtes une fille très simple et des gens comme vous:** My sister Riley. You are a very simple girl and people like you.


End file.
